The Apocalypse 

OF 

St. John 



BY 

Rev. E. Sylvester Berry 



FIRST EDITION 



COLUMBUS. OHIO: 

JOHN W. WINTERICH 
The Catholic Church Supply House 
59 East Main Street 
1921 



NIHIL OBSTAT 

Joseph Molitor, D. D. 
Censor Deputatus 



IMPRIMATUR 
t James J. Hartley 
Bishop of Columbus 

June 15, 1921 



Copyright 1921, by John W. Winterich 

AUG 19 i92l 
g)ClA622463 



PREFACE 

The book of the Apocalypse is unlike any other 
book of the New Testament — and is full of consolation 
and instruction to all who read its inspired and pro- 
phetic words. It lifts the soul up to the beauty and 
grandeur of Heaven — shows us in all their glory the 
joys and triumphs of those who were once like our- 
selves — but who are now changed and happy with those 
^'who have washed their robes and made them white in 
the blood of the Lamb." How consoling it is to turn 
from the sordid things of earth — to be carried away 
with the sublime words that lead us to the throne of 
God — to the company of the Angels and Saints — to the 
new Jerusalem with streets of gold — to the river and 
tree of life — to hear the voice of God Himself saying 
Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy 
of this book." 

The following pages will be most interesting to those 
who love to study the word of God. Father Berry has 
entered a new field — for there is practically no study of 
the Apocalypse in the English language — and the points 
and explanations he has placed before us are both in- 
teresting and instructive. The student will read it with 
pleasure and profit. St. Jerome tells us ^^The Apoca- 
lypse has as many mysteries as words — or rather mys- 
teries in every word." The author has tried in a simple 
scholarly way to help us view them all with pleasure 
and understanding. 

t JAMES J. HARTLEY, 

Bishop of Columbus. 
Columbus, Ohio, June 18th, 1921. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN 



INTRODUCTION 

In the study of Holy Scripture it is necessary to 
bear in mind that its various books are not separate 
and independent works. It is true, they were written 
by persons widely distant from one another in time and 
place, yet the Holy Ghost, their true Author, coordinates 
them all to one common purpose. The different books 
are but so many chapters of one and the same great 
work whose first chapter recounts the origin of the world 
by creation; its last, foretells the final consummation of 
all things. The intervening chapters relate in order 
various happenings between these two extremes. 

The Bible does not give a complete history of man- 
kind; in fact it is not intended to teach history as such. 
The Holy Ghost wishes to strengthen our faith, arouse 
our hopes in the mercies of God, and instill our hearts 
with the fear of His punishments. For this purpose He 
gives a summary view of God's dealings with mankind. 
There is only an occasional glimpse of things not closely 
connected with this main purpose. The origin of the 
material world is briefly sketched while the creation of 
the angels is only referred to incidently. But the ques- 
tions which concern us more directly are treated at 



6 



INTRODUCTION 



length. Our nature, our origin, and our destiny sum- 
marize the content of Holy Scripture. It teaches that 
man is a free and intelligent being created in a state of 
grace and destined to be united with God in Heaven 
for all eternity. Through abuse of free will man fell 
from this high estate and is daily exposed to sin and 
suffering, but the merits of Christ's death on the cross 
have redeemed man's fallen nature and placed him once 
more upon the way of salvation. 

The person of Christ thus becomes the central figure 
of all Scripture. He is the alpha and omega, the be- 
ginning and the end.'" As God, He created all things 
'^and without Him was made nothing that was made. 
In Him was life and the life was the light of men.''^ 
As man, Christ is the greatest handiwork of God, the 
^'first-born of every creature:"^ As the God-man, He 
is our Redeemer, the '^only name under Heaven given 
to men whereby we must be saved."* Thus is Jesus 
Christ the centre from which all things radiate, around 
which all revolve, and in which all must finally converge. 

After recounting the creation and fall of man, the 
Old Testament announces the coming of the Saviour and 
narrates the preparation of mankind for this great event. 

(1) Apocalypse i, 8. 

(2) St. John i, 3, 4. 

(3) Colossians i, 15. 

(4) Acts of the Apostles iv, 12. 



INTRODUCTION 



7 



The Gospels and Epistles give the life of our Lord and" 
rehearse His teachings. The Acts of the Apostles outline 
the first years of the new-born Church. The Apocalypse 
gives a prophetic history of the Church from the days 
of St. John to the final consummation of the world. 

In its general purpose the Apocalypse does not differ 
from the other Scriptures. It is to teach men a knowl- 
edge of God, enlighten their faith, strengthen their 
hopes, and give them a rule of conduct by which they 
may obtain eternal salvation. It is also intended to 
fortify the faithful in time of trial and temptation, and 
to guide the Church in every age. In this respect the 
Apocalypse simply enlarges upon the warnings of Christ 
concerning persecution of His Church. ''The servant is 
not greater than his master. If they persecuted me they 
will also persecute you. . . . They will put you out 
of the synagogue ; yea the hour cometh that whosoever 
killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God."^ 
Christ has promised that the gates of hell shall never pre- 
vail against His Church,^ but this very promise fore- 
shadows a mighty conflict with the powers of darkness. 
The Apocalypse tells of the trials and sufferings of the 
Church in this great conflict and prophesies her final 
triumph according to the promise of Christ: ^'Behold I 



(5) St. John XV, 18-20; xvi, 2. 

(6) St. Matthew xvi, 18. 



8 



INTRODUCTION 



am with you all days even to the consummation of the 
world/ Hence the prophecies of the Apocalypse 
should be a source of consolation when we see the Church 
opposed and persecuted for we have the assurance of the 
Holy Ghost that she shall come forth triumphant and 
reign peacefully over all nations. 

In other parts of Scripture, purely historical events 
serve merely as a background upon which are depicted 
the designs of Providence. St. John pursues a similar 
method in the Apocalypse. He does not intend to give 
a detailed prophetic history of the Church. He singles 
out the more important points to serve as guide-posts 
along the course of centuries. It may be said that he" 
gives only the philosophy of the Church's history, — the 
underlying causes of all its outward events. 

The laws of sacred and profane history are alike ; 
similar causes must produce similar effects. Hence all 
history repeats itself in general outlines. Only accidental 
circumstances differ. This explains why the Apocalypse 
is written under the form of symbolic visions instead of 
ordinary discourse. It must give in a few pages a re- 
sume of many centuries. One and the same prophecy 
often announces many similar events separated in time 
by centuries. The account must be limited to the barest 
outlines and stripped of every accidental circumstance. 



(7) St. Matthew xxviii, 20. 



INTRODUCTION 



9 



Symbolic visions are best suited to this purpose. More- 
over they admit of mystic and moral interpretations 
profitable to the faithful of every age. 

The prophecies of the Apocalypse consist almost 
entirely of symbolic visions whose allegorical sense must 
be the sense intended by the Holy Ghost. Any other 
interpretation is unwarranted except where the Apostle 
has evidently abandoned allegory for ordinary discourse. 
The chief duty of the interpreter is to search out the 
key of each symbol. The prophetic writings of the Old 
Testament greatly facilitate this work because the Apoc- 
alypse is strongly tinged with the imagery of the 
prophets of old and in many instances it further de- 
velopes prophecies first announced by them. 

A study of the Gospels and Epistles also gives a clue 
iJio the proper interpretation of many things in the Apoc- 
alypse. Thus, for example, the Gospels make it plain that 
the kingdom of God" or the '^kingdom of Heaven'' is 
the Church in time or in eternity. Again it is evident 
from the Epistles and from the Acts of the Apostles that 
the ' ' ancients ' '— irpedj^vrepoi — are the Apostles, and the 
bishops and priests of the church.^ 

In some cases St. John himself gives the key to his 
visions. Thus, an angel is an Apostle or bishop sent by 



(8) Cf. Acts xi, 30; xiv, 23; Titus i, 5; 1 Timothy v. 19; 1 Peter v. 1. 



10 



INTRODUCTION 



Christ to teach and govern His Church. In a similar 
sense our Lord calls St. John the Baptist an angel."* 
In other cases the meaning is evident from the context. 
The ''Lamb standing as it were slain'"*" can be none 
other than Christ triumphant at the right hand of God' 
the Fatiher. Hence the words ''as it were slain" must 
refer to Christ mystically slain in the Holy Eucharist. 

It has been customary to divide the Apocalypse into 
seven visions with a prologue and an epilogue, as follows : 

Prologue I, 1-8 
1st Vision. — Letters to the seven churches. 1, 9 — iii, 22. 
2nd Vision. — The seven seals, iv, 1 — viii, 1. 
3rd Vision — The seven trumpets, viii, 2 — xi, 18. 
4th Vision. — (a) The woman and the dragon. 

(b) The beast of the sea. 

(c) The beast of the earth. 

(d) The harvest and the vintage, xi, 19 — xiv, 8. 

5th Vision. — The seven angels with seven plagues, xv, 
1— xix, 21. 

6th Vision. — The binding and loosing of Satan, xx, 1-15. 

7th Vision. — The resurrection, general judgment, and the 
heavenly Jerusalem, xxi, 1 — xxii, 5. 

Epilogue XXII, 6-21 



(9) St. Matthew xi, 10. 

(10) Apocalypse v, 6. 



INTRODUCTION 



11 



Instead of this commonly received division," the fol- 
lovring is here submitted in the belief that it is justified 
by the commentary which follows. Yet in this, as in all 
things, we submit to the unerring judgment of the Church, 
the ''pillar and ground of the truth."" 



Prologue I, 1-8 
Part I 

From the Days of St. John to the Opening of the Abyss 

i. — General warning to the churches, i, 9 — iii, 22. 

ii. — Constitution of the Church, chs. iv-v. 

iii. — Persecution of the Church, and fall of the pagan 

Empire of Rome. ch. vi. 

iv. — The Church firmly established, ch. vii. 
V. — The Vicissitudes of the Church, ch. viii. 



(11) Cf. Cornely, "Cursus Scripturae Sacra e" vol. iii, page 715 sq.; 
Gigot, * 'Apocalypse of St. John" in Westminster version. 

(12) 1 Timothy iii, 15. 



12 



INTRODUCTION 



Part IT 

From the Opening of the Abyss to its Closing 

i. — Preparation for the Reign of Antichrist. 

(a) Heresies and Religious Wars. ch. ix. 

(b) A Preparatory Vision, ch. x. 

(c) The Two AVitnesses. ch. xi. 

(d) Conflict between the Church and Satan, ch. xii. 

ii. — ^The Reign of Antichrist and his Overthrow. 

(a) Antichrist and his Prophet, ch. xiii. 

(b) Prophets of Victory, ch. xiv. 

(c) Seven Plagues on the Empire of Antichrist, chs. 

xv-xvi. 

(d) The Beast and the Harlot, ch. xvii. 

(e) The Pall of Babylon, ch. xviii. 

(f) The Hymn of Victory, and the Condemnation of 

Antichrist and his Prophet, ch. xix. 

Part in 

From the Closing of the Abyss to the End of the World 

i. — The Universal Reign of Jesus Christ, xx, 1-6. 

ii. — The Loosing ol Satan and the Last Persecution, xx, 

7-10. 

iii. — The Resurrection and General Judgment, xx, 11-15. 

iv. — The Heavenly Jerusalem, xxi, 1 — xxii, 5. 



Epilogue XX, 6-20 



INTRODUCTION 



13 



According to this division the three parts of the 
Apocalypse correspond to three successive periods in the 
history of the Church and furnish a prophetic history 
that extends from the time of St. John to the final 
triumph of the Church in glory. 

The above division of the Apocalypse and the ex- 
planation which follows are based upon an article by 
Pere Gallois, O. P., which first appeared in the lievue 
Biblique. It was then issued in pamphlet form by P. 
Lethielleux, Paris, in 1895, with a prefatory letter by 
Pere Monsabre, 0. P., which, we believe, is sufficient 
guaranty for its complete orthodoxy. The present work 
is practically an enlarged adaptation of the article by 
Pere Gallois, but many departures from his opinions de- 
mand that it be issued as a separate work with due 
acknowledgment to the original author It is not in- 
tended to be a complete exegesis of the Apocalypse, yet 
we hope it may lead to a better understanding of those 
obscure prophecies in which the Holy Ghost foretells the 
vicissitudes of the Church and its final triumph over all 
enemies. 



THE PROLOGUE 

Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the words 
of this prophecy ; and keepeth those things which are 
written in it. 

APOCALYPSE 
iv: i. 



THE PROLOGUE 



CHAPTER I 

1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave 
unto him, to make known to his servants the things 
which must shortly come to pass and signified, sending 
by his angel to his servant John, 2 ^ho hath given testi- 
mony to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus 
Christ, what things soever he hath seen. 

3. Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the 
words of this prophecy: and keepeth those things 
which are written in it. For the time is at hand. 

1. The revelation (apocalypse) of Jesus Christ. The 
Greek word airoKaXvipi^ signifies a revelation; a making 
known. It also means the revealing of one's self, a 
coming. Both meanings are appropriate here. It is a 
revelation which Christ has made concerning His Coming 
in power and majesty. It is also a prophecy of events 
leading up to this second coming. 

These things ' ' must shortly come to pass. ' ' They com- 
prise the whole history of the Church from the time of 
Christ until the end of the world. Hence their accomplish- 
ment was already beginning in the days of St. John. 

This revelation has been confided to Jesus Christ by 
God the Father. Christ in turn sends an angel to impart 
it to His servant John. Angels are the natural interme- 
diaries between God and man. They often fulfilled this 
mission before the time of Christ. Today their ministry 



18 



THE PROLOGUE 



is less needed for this purpose since we have the unerring 
Church of Christ as our teacher and guide in all things per- 
taining to salvation. 

2. By writing these revelations St. John has given 
testimony to God and to Jesus Christ. Testimony may be 
given by word or by works, especially by martyrdom. St. 
John here gives testimony by written word. 

3. Whoever reads this book, opens his heart to its 
teachings, and conforms his life to its precepts is worthy 
of eternal happiness. Let no one say that the book was 
written for future ages only. It is already being fulfilled 
and every Christian should find therein a rule of life suited 
to the circumstances in which God has placed him. 

CHAPTER I 

4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia. 
Grace be to you and peace from him that is, and that 
was, and that is to come, and from the seven spirits 
which are before his throne. 

5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful wit- 
ness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of 
the kings of the earth, who hath loved us, and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood, 6, and hath made us 
a kingdom and priests to God and his Father, to him be 
glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen. 

7. Behold he cometh with the clouds, and every 
eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him. And 
all tribes of earth shall bewail themselves because of 
him. Even so. Amen. 



THE PROLOGUE 



19 



8. I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the 
end, saith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who 
is to come, the Almighty. 

4. St. John begins by laying down a rule ofi conduct 
for those of his own times. He is an Apostle, and in par- 
ticular, the Apostle of Asia Minor. Hence he addresses 
himself to the bishops and churches of that province ; yet 
his words are of universal application. Through the 
churches of Asia Minor, he addresses all churches through- 
out the world for all time. 

Some interpreters take the seven churchesi as types of 
seven ages in the Church. Much can be said in favor of 
this opinion, but it is difficult to distinguish periods in the 
Church corresponding to the characteristics of these seven 
churches as described in the Apocalypse. Thus, for ex- 
ample, the church of Ephesus, characterized by lack of 
fervor and zeal, would represent the Apostolic period of 
the Church. But it cannot be said with any historical ac- 
curacy that the Church in that age was especially noted 
for lack of fervor and zeal. 

The simpler and, as we believe, the more correct view 
likens these letters of St. John to many of St. Paul's Epis- ^ 
ties which were written to particular churches for par- 
ticular purposes, but intended by the Holy Ghost to be 
documents of warning and instruction for all churches and 



20 



THE PROLOGUE 



for all times. The universal character is much more evi- 
dent in these seven letters than in the Epistles of St. Paul. 
They were not sent as separate letters to the individual 
churches, but form an integral part of the Apocalypse 
which was sent to each church as one complete document. 

In Holy Scripture seven" is the most sacred of num- 
bers. The seventh day of the week was consecrated to God 
in a special manner. The Paschal feast lasted seven days. 
Seven weeks later came the feast of Pentecost when seven 
lambs were offered in sacrifice. Seven sprinklings of blood 
were prescribed for sin. In the Holy Place stood the 
seven-branched candlestick with its seven lights. In fact 
the number seven is found on almost every page of Holy 
Scripture. It is the perfect number, the symbol of perfec- 
tion, fullness, or universality. It seems to have acquired 
this meaning from the fact that God completed the work 
of creation in six days and rested on the seventh which 
He blessed and sanctified."^ 

The Apostle prays for peace and grace ; not such peace 
as the world can give, but peace and grace from God. 
''Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not 
as the world giveth, do I give unto you."' This peace 
from heaven is proclaimed upon earth by the seven spirits 
who stand before the throne of God. Three of them are 



(1) Genesis ii, 1-3. 

(2) St. John xiv, 27. 



THE PROLOGUE 



21 



known by name. They are the Archangels Raphael, Gabriel, 
and Michael. St. Raphael said: ''I am the Angel Ra- 
phael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord. ' ' He 
was sent with a message of peace to Tobias of old.^ St. 
Gabriel announced peace to Daniel, to the Priest Zacharias, 
and to the Blessed Virgin.* St. Michael, the special pro- 
tector of the Jewish nation," now guards the Church 
against her enemies that she too, may enjoy the peace 
that comes from God.* 

5. The seven spirits also represent the ministers of 
the Church who preach the Gospel of peace and grace to 
all nations. Jesus Christ, their Master, is the Prince of 
Peace, and becomes for us the source of all grace through 
the merits of His life, death and resurrection. All earthly 
kings and rulers must accept His law and govern accord- 
ing to His precepts because He is King of kings and Lord 
of lords. 

Through the infinit;e love of Jesus Christ we have been 
redeemed and cleansed from sin by His Blood. ^'Having 
loved his own who w^ere in the world, he loved them unto 
the end.''^ ^^And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us 
from all sin. 

(3) Tobias xii. 15. 

(4) Daniel ix, 21; St. Luke i, 19-26. 

(5) Daniel xii, 1. 

(6) Apocalypse xii, 7. 

(7) St. John xiii, 1. 

(8) 1 John i, 7. 



22 



THE PROLOGUE 



6. Christ has established the Church as His kingdom 
upon earth with the bishops and priests as its teachers 
and rulers. Hence St. John says to the bishops, his co- 
laborers in the Church : We have been made kings and co- 
heirs of His kingdom ; we have been chosen priests to ren- 
der glory to His eternal Father. To Christ also belongs 
equal honor through all ages because he is God, equal to 
the Father in all things. 

Those to whom St. John writes are priests and rulers 
in the Church. This proves that St. John does not write 
directly to the different churches but to their bishops. 
Hence the words of praise or reproof written to the 
*^ angels" are personal warnings to the bishops and 
through them to the churches. 

7. Looking down the vista of ages, St. John sees 
our Lord coming in clouds of glory to judge the living 
and the dead. With the prophets of old, clouds were ever 
symbols of divine majesty. It is worthy of note that the 
Apocalypse is literally filled with striking expressions of 
St. John's faith in the divinity of Christ. This is proof 
sufficient that this dogma of Faith was not invented after 
the time of the Apostles as rationalists would have us be- 
lieve. 

At His second coming Christ will be manifest to all ; 
even those who put Him to death on the cross shall behold 



THE PROLOGUE 



23 



His power and majesty. Then will all nations mourn be- 
cause of the judgment that awaits them. The last words 
of this verse express the certainty that these things must 
come to pass. They are also a prayer: ^^So let it be. 
Amen. ' ' 

8. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and 
omega the last. Hence Christ calls Himself alpha and 
omega, the beginning and the end."* 



(9) See above, page 6. 



PART FIRST 



FROM THE TIME OF CHRIST 
TO THE OPENING OF 
THE ABYSS 



PART I 



From the Time of Christ to the Opening 
of the Abyss 

The voice which I heard, as it were the voice of 
a trumpet said: Come up hither, and I will show 
thee the things which must be done hereafter. 

APOCALYPSE 
iv: 1. 



1. GENERAL WARNING TO THE CHURCHES 



9. I Jolin, your brother and your partner in tribu- 
lation, and in the kingdom, and patience in Christ Jesus, 
was in the island which is called Patmos, for the word 
of God and for the testimony of Jesus. 

10. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and heard 
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 

11. Saying: What thou seest, write in a book: 
and send to the seven churches which are in Asia, to 
Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamus, and to 
Thyatira, and to Sardis and to Philadelphia, and to 
Laodicea. 

12. And I turned to see the voice that spoke with 
me And being turned, I saw seven golden candle- 
sticks: 

13. And in the midst of the seven golden candle- 
sticks, one like to the son of man, clothed with a 
garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps 
with a golden girdle. 

14. And his head and his hairs were white, as 
white wool, and as snow, and his eyes were as a flame 
of fire. 

15. And his feet were like unto fine brass, as in a 
burning furnace. And his voice as the sound of many 
waters. 

16. And he had in his right hand seven stars. 
And from his mouth came out a sharp two-edged sword: 
and his face was as the sun shineth in his power. 

17. And when I had seen him, I fell at his feet as 
dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying: 
Fear not. I am the first and the last, 



28 



WARNING TO THE CHURCHES 



18. And alive and was dead, and behold I am liv- 
ing for ever and ever and have the keys of death and 
of hell. 

19. Write therefore the things which thou hast 
seen, and which are and which must be done hereafter. 

20. The mystery of the seven stars, which thou 
sawest in my right hand- and the seven golden candle- 
sticks. The seven stars are the seven angels of the 
seven churches. And the seven candlesticks are the 
seven churches. 

9. '^For the word of God and for the testimony of 
Jesus" refers to sufferings which St. John endured for his 
faith. Thus the martyrs were slain ' ' for the word of God, 
and for the testimony which they held."' This inter- 
pretation is confirmed by the fact that the Apostle shared 
in the sufferings of his brethren; he was ''n partner in 
their tribulations. ' ' He was even then suffering the hard- 
ships of exile in Patmos. 

Many authors take the words of St. John to mean 
that he was on the Island of Patmos for the purpose of 
receiving the ^'word of God" and to give testimony by 
his writing. But in the Apocalypse St. John does not 
use the Greek word ^^dia" in connection with the ' Svord 
of God" to express a purpose. It always means ^'^for the 
sake of" or ''in consequence of." No doubt, St. John 
would also look upon his banishment as an act of divine 
Providence preparing him for these great revelations. 

Toward the end of Domitian's reign, St. John was 
brought to Rome and cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. 



(1) Apocalypse vi, 9. 



WARNING TO THE CHURCHES 



29 



Miraculously escaping from this he was banished to the 
Island of Patmos about the year 95 A. D.' Upon the 
death of Domitian the following year, St. John returned 
to Ephesus where he died a peaceful death about 100 A. D. 

Patmos is a desolate island of volcanic rocks in the 
Aegean Sea, about sixty miles southwest of Ephesus. Its 
excellent harbor made it a stopping place for vessels on 
the way from Kome to Ephesus. Pliny informs us that it 
was used as a place of exile.^ A cave about half way 
between the shore and the modern town of Patmos is 
pointed out as the spot where St. John received his reve- 
lations. 

10. St. John received this revelation on Sunday — 
the Lord's day. This fact is interesting because it shows 
at what an early date the Christians dedicated the first 
day of the week to the service of God as indicated by 
the name Lord's day.* Perhaps St. John had withdrawn 
from his fellow exiles on that day to devote himself to 
prayer. While thus engaged in prayer he heard a voice 
clear and piercing as a trumpet blast. It w^as a voice to be 
heard to the uttermost parts of the earth. 

12, 13. Turning to see whence the voice came, St. 
John beheld a vision of seven golden candlesticks, and in 
the midst of them our Lord, clothed in the white robe of 
the priesthood. He appeared to St. John in his human 
form — ''like to the son of man." 

(2) Eusebius, "Church History" iii, 18; Tertullian, "Prescriptions 
against Heretics" xxxvi. 

(3) Pliny, "Natural History" iv, 12,13. 

(4) Cf. also Acts of the Apostles xx, 7; 1 Corinthians xvi, 2. 



30 



WARNING TO THE CHURCHES 



The seven candlesticks represent the seven churches 
of Asia. As noted above, seven is the perfect number 
which denotes universality. Hence by extension the seven 
candlesticks represent all churches throughout the world 
for all time. Gold signiJSes the charity of Christ which 
pervades and vivifies the Church. 

14. The snow-white locks are a symbol of wisdom 
and eternity. The all-seeing eyes were as flames of fire — 
terrible to the wicked, but a symbol of all-consuming love 
for the faithful. Fire is one of God's great gifts to man, 
yet it is also man's most destructive enemy. 

15. The feet of glowing brass remind us of the rig- 
orous justice of divine judgments. The voice, like the 
roar of mighty waters, proclaims mercy and love to the 
faithful, but threatens punishment to the wicked. Water, 
like fire, is a great good, or a terrible evil according to 
circumstances. 

16. The seven stars represent the seven bishops of 
Asia and through them all bishops of the Church. Bishops 
are stars set in the firmament of the Church to enlighten 
and direct the faithful through the dark sea of life. Christ 
holds the stars in His right hand to show His great solici- 
tude for those charged with the government of His Church 
and the care of souls. 

The sharp two-edged sword is the Gospel which de- 
stroys sin and heresy. ''The word of God is living and 
effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword. ' 



(5) Hebrews iv, 12. 



WARNING TO THE CHURCHES 



31 



The countenance, bright as noon-day sun, reveals the glory 
of Christ's risen body. It is also a symbol of the enlighten- 
ing power of the Gospel which leaves the wicked without 
excuse for their Avilful blindness. ''If I had not come and 
spoken to them, they would not have sin : but now they 
have no excuse for their sin.''^ 

17, 18. Overcome with fear and admiration St. John 
fell to the ground. Our Lord then revealed His identity 
with words of reassurance : ''Fear not, for I am the Lord 
who arose from Ihe dead to die no more.'' "Christ rising 
again from the dead, dieth now no more ; death shall no 
more have dominion over him"^ because He holds the keys 
of death and hell. The words of Christ must certainly 
have carried St. John back to that other scene on Mount 
Tabor where our Lord revealed His glory to the three 
Apostles some sixty-five years before/ 

19, 20. Christ Himself explains the meaning of the 
candlesticks and stars. He thus shows that the prophecies 
of the Apocalypse are to be .understood in an allegorical 
sense unless the text clearly indicates a different inter- 
pretation. In some few passages the meaning is explained. 
In most cases the interpretation must be sought in the 
writings of the prophets who used like symbols to express 
similar truths. 



(6) St. John XV, 22. 

(7) Romans vi, 9. 

(8) St. Matthew xvii, 1-8. 



TO THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS 



CHAPTER II 

1. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: 
These things saith he, who holdeth the seven stars 
in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven 
golden candlesticks: 

2. I know thy work, and thy labour, and thy pa- 
tience, and how thou canst not bear them that are evil, 
and thou hast tried them who say they are apostles, 
are not, and hast found them liars; 

3. And thou hast patience, and hast endured for 
my name and hast not fainted. 

4. But I have somewhat against thee, because 
thou hast left thy first charity. 

5. Be mindful therefore from whence thou art 
fallen: and do penance, and do thy first works. Or 
else I will come to thee, and will move thy candlestick 
out of its place, except thou do penance. 

6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds 
of the Nicolaites, which I also hate. 

7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, 
I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the 
paradise of my God. 

1. The angels addressed by St. John are the bishops 
of the churches to which he writes. The Greek word 
ayyeAos means ''one sent," a ''messenger.'" Bishops* 
are ministers sent by Christ to rule His Church. 

Ephesus was an important city on the western coast 
of Asia Minor. It was chiefly noted for the temple of 



TO THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS 



33 



Diana which was counted among the seven wonders of the 
world. The temple was stripped of its riches by Nero and 
finally destroyed by the Goths in 262 A. D. St. Paul 
preached the Gospel in Ephesus for three years and left 
his disciple, St. Timothy, as bishop, to carry on the work. 
St. John also spent his last years at Ephesus where he 
wrote the fourth Gospel. An ancient tradition says that 
Mary Magdalene also died at Ephesus. 

Today Ephesus is represented by Aya Solouk, a vil- 
lage of 3000 inhabitants. Below the village lie the ruins 
of the ancient city. Remains of the temple and theater 
are still pointed out to the visitor. 

St. Timothy w^as probably the angel" of Ephesus to 
whom St. John writes in the Apocalypse. He is praised 
for his untiring labors in preaching the Gospel and his zeal 
in rooting out false teachers. He has also suffered perse- 
cution for Christ's name. St. Paul informs us that St. 
Timothy had been imprisoned for his faith, but he gives 
none of the circumstances."" 

St. Timothy is now reprimanded because he has lost 
much of his former zeal. St. Paul had recognized in his 
beloved disciple a gentleness of nature that easily leads 
to the lack of that zeal and firmness so necessary in a 
bishop. Hence he wrote to St. Timothy: ^'Stir up the 
grace of God which is in thee by the imposition of my 
hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear ; but 
of power, and of love, and of sobriety." And again: 



(1) Hebrews xiii, 23. 



34 



TO THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS 



''Preach the word. Be instant in season and out of sea- 
son. Reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doc- 
trine."' 

What St. Paul feared has come to pass. The words 
of St. John leave the impression that there has been a 
serious falling off in fervor and zeal. The consequences 
will be all the greater now that persecution is at hand. 
St. John takes the place of the former master to warn St. 
Timothy. His words were fruitful and St. Timothy won 
the martyr's crown soon after. 

To persevere in fervor and zeal is one of the greatest 
difficulties of an apostolic life. Yet it is the strict duty of 
every apostle worthy the name. 

5. A terrible punishment awaits St. Timothy unless 
he regain his former zeal in the ministry. The nature of 

this chastisement indicates that the faithful were at fault 
even more than their bishop. ''I will remove thy candle- 
stick (church) out of its place" by means of persecution, 
heresy, schism, and apostacy. Only too often has this 
threat been carried out in the history of the Church. It is 
a menace hanging over every church that loses its first 
fervor and abandons its first works. 

6. Our Lord commends St. Timothy for his hatred of 
the Nicolaite heresy. The Nicolaites were noted for their 
corrupt teachings and manner of life. The sect probably 
took its name from the founder. Some wish to identify 



(2) II Timothy i, 7; iv, 2. 



TO THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS 



35 



him with Nicholas, one of the seven deacons ordained at 
Jerusalem/ St. Paul had warned Timothy of errors 
similar to those of the Nicolaites: ^*Some shall depart 
from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error and doc- 
trines of devils. Speaking lies and hypocrisy and having 
their conscience seared. Forbidding to marry, to abstain 
from meats. 

Christ does not say that He hates the Nicolaites. He 
hates only their evil works and their errors. This teaches 
us that we must ever hate all error, but love the erring, 
especially those who err through no fault of their own. 
Our love for them should show itself in earnest efforts to 
bring them to the knowledge and love of truth. 

7. A great reward is promised to those who over- 
come heresy and sin by reclaiming the wandering to the 
true Faith. '^To him that overcometh I will give to eat 
of the tree of life/' Christ Himself is this tree of life 
whose fruit is the Holy Eucharist on earth, and eternal 
union with Him in heaven. 



(3) Acts of the Apostles vi, 5. 

(4) I Timothy iv, 1-3; cf. also Irenaeus **Adversus Haereses'* 
XX vi, 3. 



TO THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA 



CHAPTER II 

8. And to the aagel of the church of Smyrna write: 
These things saith the First and the Last who was dead 
and is alive. 

9. I know thy tribulation and thy poverty, but 
thou art rich: and thou art blasphemed by them that 
say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue 
of Satan. 

10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt 
suffer. Behold, the devil will cast some of you into prison 
that you may be tried: and you shall have tribulation 
ten days. Be thou faithful unto death: and I will give 
thee the crown of life. 

11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
spirit saith to the churches. He that shall overcome, 
shall not be hurt by the second death. 

8. Smyrna is an important city on the bay of Smyrna, 
thirty-five miles north of Ephesus. At present it is a man- 
datory of Greece and numbers 250,000 inhabitants. Chris- 
tianity was brought to Smyrna at a very early date. The 
Jews of this city were especially hostile to the Gospel. The 

angel" of Smyrna was most probably St. John's own 
disciple, St. Polycarp. 

9. The bishop is praised for his patience in suffering 



TO THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA 37 

and for his poverty. He is poor indeed in this M^orld's 
goods, but he is rich in the grace of God and in true Chris- 
tian Charity. He has suffered much on account of calum- 
nies spread by the Jews of Smyrna. 

The real Jew — the true son of Abraham — is the 
Christian who has accepted Christ as the Messias promised 
to Abraham of old. These who call themselves Jews are but 
rebels against the God of Israel and the prophets of old. 
They are the ' ' synagogue of Satan. ' ' Wherever the Gos- 
pel was preached the Jews were its first and most bitter 
enemies. Tertullian writes : '^The Jewish synagogues are 
the source of persecutions.'" 

10. These Jewish enemies of the Gospel will succeed 
in bringing on a persecution, but it shall be of short dura- 
tion. The Christians must suffer for their Faith, yet there 
is nothing to fear ; he who perseveres will obtain the crown 
of eternal life. This prophecy found a fulfillment in the 
persecution which raged for' a short time at Smyrna about 
the year 155 A. D. St. Polycarp was its most illustrious 
victim. An account of his martyrdom was vmtten by his 
brethren to notify the neighboring churches of their 
bishop's death. This work, known as the ^'Martyrdom of 
Polycarp,'' shows that the Jews took an active part in the 
persecution." 

(1) Tertullian, "Scorpiace" 10; cf. Romans ii, 28; St. Matthew 
xxiii, 34. 

(2) Eusebius, "Church Histor3^" Iv, 15; Martyrdom of Polycarp xiil. 



38 



TO THE CHURCH OP SMYRNA 



11. Those who suffer for the Faith seem to be over- 
come by their enemies, but if they persevere unto the end 
they are the real victors. They suffer death of the body, 
but thereby win eternal life. ^^He that shall lose his life 
for my sake, shall find it. ' He need not fear the second 
death which is eternal damnation of body and soul.* 



(3) St. Matthew xvi, 25; St. James i, 12. 

(4) Apocalypse xx, 14. 



TO THE CHURCH OF PERGAMUS 



CHAPTER II 

12. And to the angel of the church of Pergamus 
write: These things saith he that hath the sharp two- 
edged sword: 

13. I know where thou dwellest, where the seat of 
Satan is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not 
denied my faith. Even in those days when Antipas 
was my faithful witness, who was slain amongst you 
where Satan dwelleth. 

14. But I have against thee a few things: because 
thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, 
who taught Balac to cast a stumbling-block before the 
children of Israel, to eat and to commit fornication. 

15. So thou hast also them that hold the doc- 
trines of the Nicolaites. 

10. In like manner do penance: or else I will come 
to thee quickly and will fight against thee with the 
sword of my mouth. 

17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, I 
will give the hidden manna, and will give him a white 
counter, and in the counter, a new name written, which 
no man knoweth, but he that receiveth it. 



12. Pergamus, one of the most magnificent cities of 
ancient times, was located on the River Caicus about fif- 
teen miles from the sea and sixty miles north of Smyrna. 



40 



TO THE CHURCH OF PERGAMU^ 



It seems that paganism was deeply rooted at Pergamas. 
Tacitus mentions its famous temple to Aesculapius, the 
god of medicine/ There was also a number of the im- 
moral Nicolaites at Pergamus. Persecution had already 
broken out there in the time of St. John. At least one 
Christian had valiantly met death for his Faith. In later 
times Pergamus gave other martyrs for Christ. Eusebius 
mentions Carpus, Papylus and Agathonice who were ex- 
ecuted in March 250 A. D.' 

Today the city is known as Bergama and numbers 
about 20,000 inhabitants, mostly Turks and Greek schis- 
matics. The ruins of three ancient churches were discov- 
ered in 1878-86. One of them had been a magnificent 
basilica dedicated to St. John. 

Gains, to whom St. John addressed his third Epistle, 
is said to have been the first bishop of Pergamus.^ If 
this be true, he was most probably the '^angeP' to whom 
St. John now writes. 

13. Pergamus is called "Satan's Throne," on ac- 
count of its deep-rooted paganism, its persecution of the 
Christians, and the immoralities of the Nicolaites. There 
may also be a reference to worship offered to the statue of 
the emperor. It seems that Pergamus was still the capital 

(1) Tacitus "Annales" iii, 63. 

(2) Eusebius, "Church History" IV, xv, 48. 

(3) Apostolic Constitutions vii, 46. 



TO THE CHURCH OF PERGAMUS 



41 



of proconsular Asia at that time. If so, it had a statue 
of the emperor to which sacrifice must be offered under 
pain of death. This would account for the persecution 
in which Antipas suffered martyrdom* 

14, 15. The bishop of Pergamus is praised for his 
zeal and constancy in the face of persecution. Yet there 
is some room for complaint. He has not been sufficiently 
energetic in rooting out the hated Nicolaite heresy. Some 
of his flock are holding this evil doctrine. On account of 
their immoral teachings and practices they are called dis- 
ciples of Balaam. This is a reference to the Moabites who 
went among the Israelites at Balaam's suggestion to seduce 
them into idolatry/ and adultery." In like manner the 
Nicolaites are seducing the faithful into sin and error. 

16. Unless those wicked ones do penance they shall 
be smitten with the two-edged sword which breaks the 
obstinate and confounds all sin and error. There may 
also be a reference here to the fate of the Moabites who 
had seduced the children of Israel.^ 

17. He who overcomes sin and error shall receive 
the hidden manna of eternal joy through union with 
Christ in heaven — a union that begins on earth in the 

(4) Cf. below, on xiii, 17. 

(5) Numbers xxxi, 16. 

(6) Numbers xxxi, 17. 



42 



TO THE CHURCH OF PERGAMUS 



worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist. The same reward 
was promised to the bishop of Ephesns under the symbol 
of the tree of life/ 

The eternal joys of heaven are also symbolized by a 
white pebble ( "counter" in the Douay version) upon 
which a new name is written. It were useless to specu- 
late on this name since Christ says '^no man knoweth but 
he that receiveth it." It is probably the *^new name" 
mentioned below in chapter xix, 12.^ Why the joys of 
heaven should be symbolized by a white pebble is not 
known. Gigot says there is probably a reference to some 
use of a ''white stone" familiar to St. John's readers, but 
unknown to us.* 



(7) See above, page 35. 

(8) Siee below, on xix, 12. 

(9) "The Apocalypse of St. John," W^estminster version, page 6. 



TO THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA 



CHAPTER II 

18. And to the aagel of the church of Thyatira 
write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath 
his eyes like to a flame of fire, and his feet like fine 
brass. 

19. I know thy works, and thy faith, and thy 
charity, and thy ministry, and thy patience, and thy last 
works which are more than the former. 

20. But I have against thee a few things: because 
thou sufferest the woman Jezabel, who calleth herself a 
prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants, to com- 
mit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. 

21. And I gave her a time that she might do pen- 
ance, and she will not repeat of her fornication. 

22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed: and they 
that commit adultery with her shall be in great tribula- 
tion, except they do penance from their deeds. 

23. And I will kill her children with death, and 
all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth 
the reins and hearts, and I will give to every one of you 
according to your works. But to you I say: 

24. And to the rest who are at Thyatira: Who- 
soever have not this doctrine, and who have not known 
the depths of Satan, as they say, I will not put upon 
you any other burden. 

25. Yet that which you have, hold fast till I come. 

26. And he that shall overcome and keep my words 
unto the end, I will give him power over the nations. 



44 



TO THE CHURCH OP THYATIRA 



27. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and 
as the vessel of a potter they shall be broken, 

28. As I also have received of my Father: and 1 
will give him the morning star. 

29. He that hath an ear, let him hear what th« 
spirit saith to the churches. 



18. Fifty miles southeast of Pergamus lay the 
ancient city of Thyatira. Diana was greatly venerated 
here as at Ephesus, but Apollo was the chief divinity in 
whose honor games were celebrated. Lydia, a woman 
converted by St. Paul at Philippi, was from Thyatira.^ 
At the beginning of the third century the population was 
almost entirely Christian.^ 

In the Middle Ages the Turks changed the name of 
Thyatira to Ak-Hissar (White Fortress). The popula- 
tion today numbers about 22,000, mostly Mahomedans 
and Greek schismatics. 

19, 20. The bishop of Thyatira is praised for his 
faith and for his good work in the ministry. Unlike 
Timothy, his zeal has increased, yet there is one fault for 
which he is reproved. He has not sufficiently guarded 
the faithful against the teachings of a certain false 
prophetess who is stigmatized as ''a Jezabel.^' Through 

(1) Acts of the Apostles xvi, 13, 14. 

(2) St. Epiphanius, "Contra Haereses" 11, 33. 



TO THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA 



45 



the influence of Jezabel, King Aehab fell into idolatry 
and became the most wicked of Israel's rulers.^ In 
like manner the Christians of Thyatira were being led 
into the doctrines of the Nicolaites by a wicked woman 
who called herself a prophetess. She was even seducing 
them to partake of the sacrificial banquets of the 
pagans." 

21, 22. St. John compares heresy to adultery. This 
figure of speech is often found in the Old Testament. 
Christ is the true and only spouse of souls. Heresy is an 
act of unfaithfulness to Him. 

Our Lord has shown special mercy by giving this 
false prophetess and her followers time to repent, but 
they will not repent of their sins. They are now threat- 
ened with severe punishments. They shall be stricken 
down with sickness and death. All the churches must 
realize that Christ will tolerate neither heresy nor 
schism. 

24, 25. The faithful of Thyatira are admonished to 
avoid the doctrines of heretics, and to guard carefully 
the Faith that has been preached to them. No other 
commandment is needed for them. 

The Nicolaites were followers of the Gnostics who 



(3) III Kings xvi, 31-34; xxi, 25. 

(4) Cf. I Corinthians viii. 



46 



TO THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA 



boasted of a higher knowledge of divine things possessed 
by them alone. They called it the ''abyss" or ''depth" 
of knowledge. St. John shows the true nature of this 
so-called knowledge when he names it the "depths of 
Satan. ' ' 

26, 27. The faithful are warned of the necessity of 
good works for salvation. Those who persevere in them 
unto the end shall have part with Christ in the judgment 
of the wicked. They shall participate in the power He 
has received from the Father — power to rule the nations 
with a rod of iron.^ St. Paul teaches the same truth: 
"Know ye not tha.t the saints shall judge this world?"* 

28. To those who persevere, our Lord will give the 
eternal glory of the Beatific Vision in heaven. Christ, 
the Morning Star, shall be the object of this vision be- 
cause He is God, equal in all things to the Father. This 
same reward was promised to the other churches under 
slightly different symbols.' 

Christ is referred to as a star in the prophecy of 
Balaam: "A star shall arise out of Jacob. "^ In an- 
other passage of the Apocalypse Christ calls Himself the 
"bright and morning Star."^ By the reflected light 
of this Star "the just shall shine as the sun in the king- 
dom of their Father."'' 



(5) Cf. Psalm ii, 9. 

(6) I Corinthians vi, 2. 

(7) Cf. w. 7, 10, 17. 

(8) Numbers xxiv, 17. 

(9) Apocalypse xxii, 16. 

(10) St. Matthew xiii, 43. 



TO THE CHURCH OF SARDIS 



CHAPTElR III 

1. And to the angel of the church of Sardis write: 
These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of 
God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou 
hast the name of being alive: and thou art dead. 

2. Be watchful and strengthen the things that re- 
main, which are ready to die. For I find not thy works 
full before my God. 

3. Have in mind therefore in what manner thou 
hast received and heard: and observe, and do penance. 
If then thou shalt not watch: I will come to thee as a 
thief, and thou shalt not know at what Lour I will 
come to thee. 

4. But thou hast a few names in Sardis, which 
have not defiled their garments: and they shall walk 
with me in white, because they aie worthy. 

5. He that shall overcome shall thus be clothed in 
white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of 
the book of life, and I will confess his name before my 
Father, and before the angels. 

6. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
spirit saith to the churches. 

1. Sardis, the capital of Lydia, was a city of con- 
siderable importance. It was about thirty miles south 
of Thyatira on the Pactolus, which flowed through its 
market-place. It was noted for its commercial activities 



48 



TO THE CHURCH OP SARDIS 



and for the manufacture of carpets and woolen goods. 
It was also the residence of the famous Croesas. The 
straggling village of Sart now marks the site of this 
ancient city. 

^^He who has the seven spirits'' is the sovereign 
Lord of the seven spirits who stand before the throne 
of God. Some interpreters take these words to mean 
that Christ possesses the fulness of the gifts of the Holy 
Ghost. ''And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: 
the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of 
counsel and fortitude the spirit of knowledge and of 
godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the 
fear of the Lord.'" 

He who has the seven stars is Christ who exercises 
a special care for the ministers of His Church. He is 
now manifesting this solicitude for the bishop of Sardis. 
Christ, the searcher of hearts and reins, knows the true 
state of this bishop's soul. He appears to be a faithful 
servant of God and a true shepherd of souls, but in re- 
ality he is spiritually dead. These words imply a state 
of moral sin and a sad neglect of pastoral duty. 

2-5. Through the ministry of St. John, Christ now 
exhorts the bishop of Sardis to arouse himself to a realiza- 
tion of his sad plight. He must do penance for the past 



(1) Isaias xi, 2, 3. 



TO THE CHURCH OP SARDIS 



49 



and stir up his zeal to save the few members of his flock 
who remain faithful. 

The pastor of souls is responsible to God for their 
salvation. He must teach and guide them by word and 
example, ''for the lips of the priest shall keep knoAvledge, 
and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is 
the angel of the Lord of hosts.'" He is like a watch- 
man set upon a watch-tower; ''if he see the sword com- 
ing, and sound not the trumpet and the people look not 
to themselves, and the sword come, and cut ofH a soul 
from among them; he indeed is taken away in his in- 
iquity, but I will require his blood at the hand of the 
watchman. ' 

These words of the prophet are also a warning that 
no one can make an unworthy pastor an excuse for his 
sins. He still has the teachings of the Church and the 
grace of the Sacraments which are always efficacious 
whether administered by a worthy or an unworthy pastor. 
Even when the watchman does not give warning the soul 
that perishes "is taken away in his iniquity." 

The pastor who is negligent in the care of his people 
is exposed to the danger of being snatched away by sud- 
den death without the grace of the Sacraments. Unfor- 
tunately, the church of Sardis is in very sad condition, 
yet it numbers a few faithful souls who shall be saved. 
They shall be clothed with the white garments of eternal 
happiness. 



(2) Malachias ii, 7. 

(3) Isaias xxxiii, 6. 



TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA 



CHAPTER III 

7. And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia 
write: These things saith the Holy One and the true 
one, he that hath the key of David; he that openeth 
and no man shutteth: shutteth and no man openeth. 

8. I know thy works. Behold, I have given before 
thee a door opened which no man can shut: because 
thou hast little strength and hast kept my word and 
hast not denied my name. 

9. Behold I will bring of the synagogue of Satan, 
who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold. 
I will make them come and adore before thy feet. And 
they shall know that I have loved thee. 

10. Because thou hast kept the word of my pa- 
tience, I will also keep thee from the hour of tempta- 
tion, which shall come upon the whole world to try 
them that dwell upon earth. 

11. Behold I come quickly: hold fast that which 
thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 

12. He that shall overcome, I will make him a 
pillar in the temple of my God: and he shall go out no 
more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, 
and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem 
which Cometh down out of heaven from my God, and 
my new name. 

13. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
spirit saith to the churches. 



TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA 51 

7. By following the valley of the Cogamus south- 
eastward from Sardis for about thirty miles St. John's 
messenger would come to Philadelphia. The city was 
founded by Philadelphus, king of Pergamon, but became 
a Roman possession in 133 B. C. It was practically de- 
stroyed by an earthquake in 17 A. D. On account of the 
assistance then given by Tiberius the name was changed 
to Neocaesarea. The modern city, known as Ala-Shehr, 
is a station on the Smyrna-Dinair railway and has a 
population of about 20,000. 

According to the Constitutions of the Apostles, De- 
metrius was the first bishop of Philadelphia."^ He must 
have been appointed by St. John and is probably the 
angel'- here addressed. The apologist Miltiades men- 
tions a prophetess Ammia who must have belonged to 
the primitive church of Philadelphia.^ 

As true God, Christ calls Himself the True and Holy 
One. He holds the key of David since He possesses the 
eternal kingdom promised to David ;^ ''The Lord God 
shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and 
he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of 
his kingdom there shall be no end."* In this kingdom 
our Lord reigns supreme. There is none to challenge 

(1) Constitutions of the Apostles vii, 45. 

(2) Eusebius, "Church History V, xvii. 

(3) II Kings vii, 16. 

(4) St. Luke i, 32, 33. 



52 TO THE CHURCH OF PHII^DELPHIA 



His authority; He opens and no man closes; He closes 
and no man opens. 

8-10. The bishop of Philadelphia has but few of 
those natural qualifications which human wisdom deems 
necessary for the high office entrusted to him. Yet he 
has been faithful to his trust: he has kept Christ's com- 
mandment of patient perseverance. Christ now promises 
him protection in time of persecution and temptation. 
He shall even have the grace to make converts from 
among the obstinate Jews, — from that '^synagogue of 
Satan. ' ' 

Not to the great and learned, but to the humble and 
faithful does God promise His graces. ''The weak things 
of this world hath God chosen that He may confound 
the strong."^ In choosing the weak to overcome the 
strong our Lord plainly teaches that He is supreme pas- 
tor in His Church. He needs not human power nor hu- 
man wisdom. For this reason did He choose twelve i)oor 
ignorant men as Apostles to carry the Gospel to all 
nations. 

Through this faithful bishop our Lord promises 
special grace and protection to all faithful pastors at the 
time of Antichrist — ' ' that hour of temptation which shall 

(5) I Corinthians i, 27. 



TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA 



53 



come upon the whole world to try them that dwell upon 
earth." This is the first intimation that apostaey from 
the Faith will not be general in the days of Antichrist. 
There will always be souls faithful to Christ with faithful 
shepherds to guide them. 

11. Grace is always promised on condition of perse- 
verance : ' ' Guard well what thou hast, lest another re- 
ceive the crown destined for thee." 

12. All faithful bishops are apostles and pillars of 
the Church here on earth.^ They shall also be blessed 
and honored citizens of the Church triumphant, — the new- 
Jerusalem. 



(6) Cf. Galatians ii, 9. 



TO THE CHURCH OF LAODICEA 



CHAPTER III 

14. And to the angel of the church of Laodicea 
write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and 
true witness, who is the beginning of the creation of 
God: 

15. I know thy works that thou art neither cold 
nor hot. I would that thou wert cold or hot. 

16. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither 
cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. 

17. Because thou say est: I am rich, and made 
wealthy, and have need of nothing; and knowest not 
that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and 
blind, and naked. 

18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire-tried, that 
thou mayest be made rich: and mayest be clothed in 
white garments, and that the shame of thy nakedness 
may not appear: and anoint thy eyes with eye-salve, 
that thou mayest see. 

19. Such as I love I rebuke and chastize. \Be zeal- 
ous therefore and do penance. 

20. Behold, I stand at the gate and knock. If any 
man shall hear my \^oice and open to me the door, I 
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he 
with me. 

21. To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit 
with me in my throne: as I also have overcome, and 
am set down with my Father in his throne. 

22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
spirit saith to the churches. 



TO THE CHURCH OF LAODICEA 



55 



14. Laodicea was an important city of Phrygia 
about 50 miles southeast of Philadelphia on the river 
Lycus. Antiochus II colonized it about 250 B. C. and 
gave it the name of his wife, Laodice. Laodicea was a 
centre of industries and commerce and especially famous 
for its woolen goods and sandals. It was also the seat 
of a medical school. 

The Gospel had been preached in Laodicea by St. 
Paul's disciple Epaphras. The house of Nymphas was 
used as a place of worship for the little Christian com- 
munity.' The Constitutions of the Apostles mentions 
St. Nymphas as the first bishop of Laodicea.^ St. Paul 
wrote a letter to the Christians of Laodicea which has 
been lost.^ 

Jesus Christ is the Amen, — the unchangeable and 
eternal. By Him were all things created: ^^Thou in 
the beginning, Lord, didst found the earth. And the 
works of thy hands are the heavens."^ 

15-17. The bishop of Laodicea is lukewarm and in- 
different. Hence our Lord is about to reject him. He 
withdraws the graces that have been neglected. Christ 
would prefer to find the bishop entirely cold, because 
there would be more hopes for him. He would more 
easily realize his condition and do penance. Tepid souls 
easily deceive themselves, believing they are rich in 

(1) Colossians iv, 13-15. 

(2) Constitutions of the Apostles vii, 46. 

(3) Colossians iv, 16. 

(4) Hebrews i, 10. 



56 TO THE CHURCH OF LAODICEA 

God's grace when in reality they are in a miserable state, 
stripped of God's grace and blinded to their true condi- 
tion. 

The reference to riches may also imply that the 
bishop of Laodicea had given himself too much to the 
acquisition of worldly goods. He thus became the very 
opposite of St. Polycarp who was poor in material goods, 
but rich in the grace and love of God.^ 

18. The bishop is commanded to arouse himself from 
this spiritual lethargy. Instead of the base gold of 
earthly riches, he must obtain the pure gold of charity 
and zeal, — a gold purified in the fire of trials and tempta- 
tions. Thus shall he clothe himself with the white gar- 
ments of grace. Then will his eyes be opened to a proper 
knowledge of the things of God. 

19, 20. Trials and afflictions are proof of God's 
mercy and love. They arouse the soul to greater fervor. 
Christ is ever patient and loving. He stands at the door 
of our soul ready to bestow His graces and blessings. But 
the soul must cooperate; it mtist open the door to Him. 

21. A share in the glories of Christ in heaven is 
promised to those who cooperate with His graces and 
persevere unto the end. 

These warnings to the churches show Christ's solici- 
tude for our salvation. They also prove His deep con- 
cern for those charged with the care of souls. 



(1) See above, page 37. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 



CHAPTER IV 

1. After these things, I looked and behold, a door 
was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, 
as it were the voice of a trumpet speaking with me, 
said: Come np hither, and I will shew thee the things 
which must be done hereafter. 

2. And immediately I was in the spirit: and be- 
hold there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the 
throne one sitting. 

3. And he that sat was to the sight like jasper 
and the sardine stone: and there was a rainbow about 
the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 

4. And round about the throne were four and 
twenty seats: and upon the seats, four and twenty 
ancients sitting, clothed in white garments, and on 
their heads were crowns of gold. 

1. Chapters iv-v serve as an introduction to the 
visions which follow. They describe the constitution of 
the church on earth, and the worship which it gives to 
Jesus Christ the I.amb of God. 

The prophet sees the throne of God surrounded by 
the Apostles, the Evangelists, the faithful, and angels 
with censers of sweet-smelling incense. Beneath the 
throne are the martyrs who have suffered for their Faith, 
and in front of it stand the seven burning lamps. In the 
midst of the throne stands the Lamb of God as if slain. 



58 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 

He is worthy of all honor and praise. All bow down in 
adoration to Him who alone is able to break the seals of 
the future. 

This vision of adoration is a symbol of the worship 
offered to God in His Church on earth. The throne of 
God is the altar upon which the Lamb is mj^stically slain 
in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Before Him all the 
faithful bow down in adoration and sing their canticles 
of praise. In ancient times the bishop had his 
throne behind the altar, and round about it on either 
side sat the priests and other clergy. During solemn 
Mass lighted lamps stood around the altar and ministers 
carried vessels of burning incense. Beneath the altar 
reposed the relics of martyrs who had suffered for their 
faith. 

2. The door opened in heaven is a figure of speech 
signifying that St. John was wrapped in ecstasy even as 
St. Paul had been many years before.^ While in this 
ecstasy he sees the future of the Church unfolded before 
him in symbolic visions such as were seen by the^ prophets 
of old. 

3. The red and orange colors of the jasper and sar- 
donyx signify the infinite justice of God. The rainbow 
of emerald is a symbol of God's mercy and love which 
save man by calling him to penance. In the days of 
Noe the bow was set in the heavens as a sign of mercy 
and forgiveness.' Thus at the very beginning of these 



(1) 11 Corinthians xii, 2. 

(2) Genesis ix, 12-17. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 59 

prophecies God reveals Himself as a just Judge and a 
kind Father. 

4. The four and twenty ancients are the twelve 
patriarchs of the Old Law and the twelve Apostles of 
the New Dispensation. By extension they represent the 
bishops and priests of the Church throughout the cen- 
turies. They are seated upon thrones participating with 
Christ in the government of His Church. They v/ear the 
crowns of royalty because they have been chosen kings 
and princes in the kingdom of God on earth.^ The 
gold is a symbol of Christian charity. The white gar- 
ments signify sanctifying grace and the eternal happiness 
to which it leads. 

CHAPTER IV 

5. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, and 
voices and thunders: and there were seven lamps burn- 
ing before the throne, which are the seven spirits of 
God. 

6. And In the sight of the throne was as it were a 
sea of glass like to crystal: and in the midst of the 
throne and round about the throne were four living 
creatures full of eyes before and behind. 

7. And the first living creature was like a lion: 
and the second living creature like a calf; and the 
third living creature having the face, as it were, of a 
man: and the fourth living creature was like an eagle 
flying. 



(3) Apocalypse i, 6. 



60 



THE CONSTITUTION OP THE CHURCH 



8. And the four living creatures had each of them 
six wings; and round about and within they are full 
of eyes. And they rested not day and night, saying: 
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and 
who is, and who is to come. 

9. And when those living creatures gave glory and 
honour and benediction to him that sitteth on the 
throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10, the four and 
twenty ancients fell down before him that sitteth on 
the throne, and adored him that liveth for ever and 
ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying: 

11. Thou art worthy. O Lord our God, to receive 
glory and honour, and power: because thou hast created 
all things, and for thy will they were, and have been 
created. 

5. As of old on mount Sinai, thunder and lightning 
are symbols of God's power and majesty.^ On the last 
day our Lord shall come on the clouds of heaven as the 
^'lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even 
into the west.'"" 

The voice is the voice of the Church preaching the 

Gospel to all nations. The thunders are the warnings of 

the Gospel against the wicked who refuse to accept its 

teachings. The seven lamps are the seven angels who 

stand before the throne of God, and by extension, all 

angels. They are the instructors and enlighteners of 
men. For this reason they are compared to lighted 



(1) Exodus xix, 16-8. 

(2) St. Matthew xxiv, 27; xxvi, 64. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 



61 



lamps. The minislery of angels in the Church is appar- 
ent on every page of the Apocalypse. They also repre- 
sent bishop and pastors in the Church.^ 

6. In Biblical symbolism the sea represents human 
society." Here the sea of crystal is the Church, — the 
society of the faithful permeated by the light of divine 
truth which Christ brought to earth. 

The four living creatures are the four greater 
prophets of the Old Law and the four Evangelists of the 
New Law. The number ''four" signifies the universality 
of the Church which carries the Gospel to the four quar- 
ters of the earth. The eyes before and behind and round 
about the living creatures also refer to the universality 
of the Church in time and place. They see on all sides 
and have regard to all times, both before and after 
Christ, from the creation of the world until its final 
consummation. 

7. The four creatures symbolize the principal vir- 
tues necessary for those who preach the Gospel of 
Christ. The lion is a symbol of strength and courage; 
the ox, of patient labor. The creature with the face of 
a man denotes rea^^on and prudence. The eagle in fiight 
represents contemplation. From the earliest times the 
Evangelists have been represented in art by these four 
living creatures. 

8. Each of the four living creatures has six wings. 

(3) See above, page 9. 

(4) Cf. Daniel vii, .2,3; Isaias Ivii, 20; Ix, 3 sq.; St. Matthew xiii, 
47; Apocalypse xvii, 15. 



62 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHUHOH 



In this they resemble the seraphim in the vision of 
Isaias. The symbolism is probably the same. With two 
wings the seraphim shielded themselves before the maj- 
esty of God. These were adoration and reverential awe. 
AVith the wings of humility and temperance they veiled 
their feet. The two wings which served for flight sym- 
bolize faith and prayer.^ 

9, 10. All creatures must ever proclaim the power 
and majesty of God who is thrice holy in the ever blessed 
Trinity. But no creature is worthy to wear a crown in 
the presence of God. The four and twenty ancients lay 
their crowns at the foot of the throne to acknowledge 
that God alone is head of the Church. It is only in 
dependence upon Him that they govern. 

11. All power, honor, aand glory belong to Him 
who created all things. What sublime theology the Apoc- 
alypse contains ! Its every word teaches some exalted 
truth concerning God, or recalls to mind some noble 
Christian duty! 



CHAPTER V 

1. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on 
the throne, a book written within and without, sealed 
with seven seals. 

2. And I saw a strong angel, proclaiming with a 
loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book, and to 
loose the seals thereof? 

(5) Isaias vi, 2, 3. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 



63 



3. And no man was able, neither in heaven, nor 
on earth nor under the earth, to open the book, nor 
to look on it. 

4. And I wept much, because no man was found 
worthy to open nor to see it. 

5. And one of the ancients said to me: Weep not; 
for behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of 
David hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose 
the seven seals thereof. 

6. And I saw, and behold in the midst of the 
throne and of ihe four living creatures, and in the 
midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing as it were slain, 
having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the 
seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 

The preceding chapter is devoted to the Church and 
the worship it offers to Almighty God. It depicts the 
faithful paying homage of adoration, praise and thanks- 
giving through the ministry of Apostles, bishops and 
priests. The present chapter is taken up with our di- 
vine Saviour, the head and spouse of His Church. He 
alone is able to open the book of its future. He is also 
worthy of divine honors in the Blessed Sacrament of 
the altar no less than in heaven. 

1. In the right hand of God, St. John sees the book 
of the Church's future history; but the book is sealed 
to all creatures. No one in heaven^ nor on earth, nor 
under the earth knows what the future holds in store 
unless God deigns to reveal it. 

In ancient times a book consisted of a long strip of 



64 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 

parchment or papyrus wound around a stick to which 
it was fastened. It thus resembled the roll of a player- 
piano. The writing was on the side of the parchment 
that rolled in. The roll which St. John saw in the vision 
was written on both sides and sealed down with seven 
seals. The writing on both sides symbolizes fulness of 
knowledge concerning the future. The number ''seven'' 
also indicates completeness or universality as noted 
above.' Consequently the Apocalypse embraces the 
entire history of the Church from the time of Christ until 
the consummation of the world. 

3-6. Christ, — the lion of the tribe of Juda, — is alone 
found worthy to break the seven seals and open the book. 
In this vision St. John sees our Lord in His sacred hu- 
manity It is the same Christ whom the Baptist pointed 
out as the Lamb of God. His standing attitude becomes 
the triumphant Saviour. He is upon the throne of God 
because of His divinity. He is true God of true God, 
equal in all things to the Father. 

The appearance of being slain is a reference to the 
holy sacrifice of the Mass in which Christ is mystically 
sacrificed although He stands triumphant at the right 
hand of the Father in heaven. 

The seven horns and seven eyes are the seven spirits 
of God, — the angels whom Christ sends forth into the 
world as His ministers. Angels also represent the 
bishops and priests whom our Lord sends to teach and 



(1) See above, page 20. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 65 



govern His faithful.^ The seven spirits may also sig- 
nify the graces and gifts of the Holy Ghost showered 
upon the Church.* 

Horns are symbols of power. Thus Zachary calls 
our Lord "a horn of salvation.''* The eyes signify the 
omniscience of Christ ; all times and all things are present 
to His view. 

CHAPTER V 

7. And he came and took the book out of the right 
hand of him that sat on the throne. 

8. And when he had opened the book, the four 
living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell 
down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, 
and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of 
the saints. 

9. And they sang a new canticle, saying: Thou 
art worthy, O Lord, to take the book, and to open the 
seals thereof: because thou wast slain, and hast re- 
deemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and 
tongue, and people, and nation. 

10. And hast made us to our God a kingdom and 
priests, and we shall reign on earth. 

11. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many 
angels around about the throne, and the living crea- 
tures and the ancients: and the number of them was 
thousands of thousands, 12, saying with a loud voice: 



(2) See above, page 21. 

(3) See above, page 48. 

(4) St. Luke i, 69. 



66 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 



The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, 
and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, 
and glory, and benediction. 

13. And every creature which is in heaven, and 
on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the 
seas, and all that are in them: I heard all saying: To 
him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, bene- 
diction, and honor, and glory, and power for ever and 
ever. 

14. And the four living creatures said: Amen. 
And the four and twenty ancients fell down on their 
faces: and adored him that liveth for ever and ever. 

7. The Lamb receives the book of the future from 
the hand of God. Knowledge of the future does not 
belong to the human nature of Christ; it is imparted to 
His human intellect by the hypostatic union of the hu- 
man and divine natures in the one divine person. 

8. When the book is opened all ministers of the 
Church bow down in adoration before God and the 
Lamb. As priests they ofter to Christ the praises of 
His Church. They also present to Him golden vials 
and sweet perfumes, — symbols of the prayers and good 
works of all the faithful. 

9. The whole Church of Christ now sends up a new 
canticle of praise. It is the canticle of the New Law 
in honor of our divine Saviour. His faithful followers 
never weary of proclaiming His divinity and the glory 
He has given to God by the redemption of the world. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH 



67 



10. It is for the glory of God that Christ has chosen 
some to be ministers of His Church, and to rule it upon 
earth. He has also made them priests to lay before the 
throne of God the prayers and praises of all His people. 
The faithful have some fellowship in these great privi- 
leges. They can unite with the priests of the Church 
in offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to God. 
Hence St. Peter says: '^You are a chosen generation, 
a kingly priesthood, a holy nation."' 

11-14. Thousands of angels join the glad acclaim. 
Their song arouses the whole universe. From the heights 
of the firmament, from the sea and its lowest depths, 
from the breast of every creature . . . rise the voices 
which embrace their supreme God and His Christ in one 
common act of adoration: Blessing, honor, glory, and 
power be unto Him that is seated on the throne, and to 
the Lamb for ever."^ 



(1) I Peter ii, 9. 

(2) Fouard, "St. John," page 100 (Eng. Translation). 



PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH AND FALL OF 
THE PAGAN EMPIRE AT ROME 



CHAPTER VI 

1. And I saw the Lamb liad opened one of the 
seven seals, and I heard one of the four living crea- 
tures, as it were the voice of thunder, saying: Come 
and see. 

2. And I saw; and behold a white horse, and he 
that sat on him had a bow, and there was a crown given 
him, and he went forth conquering that he might 
conquer. 

3. And when he had opened the second seal, I 
heard the second living creature, saying: Come and see. 

4. And there went out another horse that was 
red. and to him that sat thereon, it was given that he 
should take peace from the earth, and that they should 
kill one another, and a great sword was given to him. 

5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard 
the third living creature saying: Come and see. And 
behold a black horse, and he that sat on him had a 
pair of scales in his hand. 

6. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of 
the four living creatures, saying: Two pounds of wheat 
for a penny, and thrice two pounds of barley for a 
penny, and see that thou hurt not the wine and the oil. 



PERSECUTION 



6^ 



With this chapter begin those symbolic visions in 
which the entire history of the Church is unfolded before 
us. The first part (chapters vi-viii) extends from the 
which the entire history of the Church is unfolded before 
Christ. Some of the prophecies in this part have been ful- 
filled, as a comparison with the events of the past nine- 
teen centuries vnll show. As noted in the introduc- 
tion/ application of these prophecies to history must 
be confined to generalities because the Apostle is not 
giving detailed accounts. In many cases the same 
prophecy may refer to several events of similar nature. 
Hence a prophecy may have been fulfilled in the past 
and still refer to similar events in the future. 

Toward the end of this chapter there is a glimpse 
of the last days of the world. This is to show that the 
whole history of the Church has an intimate connection 
with the second coming of Jesus Christ. In fact the 
mission of the Church throughout the ages is to prepare 
mankind for that great event. 

1. The voice of thunder is the voice of the Church 
resounding to the uttermost parts of the earth as it pro- 
claims the Gospel to all nations and threatens the wicked 
with trials and punishments. 

2. White horses were used by Roman conquerors 
when celebrating triumphs for their victories. The rider 
with the bow symbolizes the pagan empire of Rome 
waging war against the Church. The white horse and 



(1) See above, pag-e 8. 



70 



PERSECUTION 



the crown of a triumphing general signify that the empire 
will appear victorious for a time in its conflict with the 
new-born Church. 

This verse clearly foretells the terrible persecutions 
launched against the Church with all the powers of the 
Roman empire, then undisputed mistress of the world. 
These persecutions continued almost without interruption 
from the time of Nero in 64 A. D. until the victory of 
Constantine in 312 A. D. But it was not until Theodosius 
in 394 A. D. that Christianity completely triumphed over 
paganism. 

3, 4. The red horse signifies war as the context 
clearly indicates. This is a prediction of the many wars 

and internal troubles that harassed the Roman empire 

before its final overthrow by the barbarian hordes from 

the North. 

5, 6. In the wake of war follow pestilence and 
famine foreshadowed by the black horse. The sixth 
verse explicitly predicts times of famine Avhen the neces- 
sities of life sell for exorbitant prices. The English ver- 
sion does not bring out this idea clearly. The Greek 
Xolvii is a dry measure equal to one and one-half pints. 
Our bushel contains 42 of these Greek measures. A 
''penny" is the translation of the Greek word SrjvdpLov 
a Roman coin worth about 17 cents in our money. It 
was an ordinary day's wage for a workingman.' At 
this rate it would require 21 days' labor for a bushel of 
wheat, and 7 days for a bushel of barley- 



CD Cf. St. Matthew xx, 2. 



PERSECUTION 



71 



The chastisements of God are always tempered with 
mercy. They are not to destroy man, but to convert 
him. Hence not al] foods shall fail during these famines. 
This is indicated by the command to leave the wine and 
oil unharmed. 



CHAPTER VI 

7. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I 
heard the voice of the four living creatures, saying: 
Come and see. 

8. And behold a pale horse, and he that sat upon 
him, his name was death, and hell followed him. And 
power was given him over the four parts of the earth, 
to kill with sword, with famine, and with death, and 
with the beasts of the earth. 

9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw 
under the altar the souls of them that were slain for 
the word cf God, and for the testimony which they held. 

10. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying: 
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge 
and revenge our blood on them that dwell on earth? 

11. And white robes were given to every one of 
them one. And it was said to them, that they should 
rest for a little time, till their fellow servants and 
their brethren, who were to be slain, even as they, 
should be filled up 



72 



PBRSBCUTION 



8. Death riding upon the pale horse is followed by 
hell. If this be the hell of the damned, the prophecy 
must refer to the death of the wicked, especially the per- 
secutors. It is worthy of note that nearly all the Empe- 
rors who persecuted the Church were taken off by tragic 
or violent death. It is more probable, however, that 
^'heir' here corresponds to the Hebrew "'sheol," a gen- 
eral term for the abode of the dead. 

Death is given power to destroy by every sort of 
plague, the chief of which are war, famine, and pesti- 
lence. Such were the chastisements inflicted upon the 
pagan Empire of Kome for persecuting the Church. Such 
will be the punishment of every nation that follows in 
her footsteps. We have seen this prophecy fulfilled in 
our own day upon nations that sought to oppress and 
destroy the Church of Christ. 

9, 10. At the breaking of the fifth seal St. John 
sees the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar where 
they enjoy eternal happiness in union with Christ, yet 
they cry out for justice. They beseech God to manifest 
His glory, His justice, and His mercy by the resurrection 
of their bodies, the punishment of His enemies and the 
general judgment of all men. 

The imagery of this vision seems to refer to the altar 
of holocaust which stood in the inner court of the temple 
before the Holy Place. In the Jewish ritual the blood 
of the victim was poured out at the foot of the altar.^ 



(1) Leviticus iv, 7. 



PERSECUTION 



73 



The life of the victim was said to be in the blood: ^^The 
life of the flesh is in the blood," and again, Beware of 
this that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is for the 
soul, and therefore thou must not eat the soul with the 
flesh. ''^ Hence the life or soul ( il/vxrj ) of the Adctim 
was conceived as being under the altar. In like manner 
the souls ( {f/vxo^L ) of the martyrs are seen beneath the 
altar because they too have become victims to God 
through martyrdom^ and the voice of their blood cries 
out to Grod for justice. ^^The voice of thy brother's 
blood crieth out to me from the earth."* 

11. The martyrs have received the white robes of 
eternal happiness and glory, but they must wait for the 
resurrection of the body until the number of their fellow 
martyrs has been filled up. They have but a short while 
to wait since the whole course of ages is as a few mo- 
ments when compared with eternity that follows: '^For 
a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday which is 
past, and as a watch in the night. 

This verse clearly foretells that there shall be mar- 
tyrs other than those of the first ages of the Church. 
There shall be witnesses to God by their blood in every 
age, especially in the days of Antichrist and at the end 
of the world. The resurrection and general judgment 
shall not take place until after this last persecution. 



(2) Leviticus xvii, 11; Deuteronomy xii, 23. 

(3) n Timothy iv, 6; Philippians 11, 17. 

(4) Genesis iv, 10. 

(5) Psalm Ixxxlx, 4. 



74 



FBRS1X)TJTI0N 



CHAPTER VI 

12. And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal, 
and behold there was a great earthquake, and the sun 
became black as sackcloth of hair; and the whole moon 
became as blood: 

13. And the stars fell from heaven upon the earth, 
as the fig tree casteth its green figs when it is shaken 
by a great wind. 

14. And the heavens departed as a book folded 
up: and every mountain, and the islands were moved 
out of their places. 

15. And the kings of earth, and the princes, and 
tribunes, and the rich, and the strong, and every bond- 
man, and every freeman hid themselves in the dens and 
in the rocks of mountains. 

16. And they said to the mountains and to the 
rocks: Fall upon us and hide us from the face of him 
that sitteth upon the throne and from the wrath of 
the Lamb. 

17. For the great day of their wrath is come, and 
who shall be able to stand? 

On the opening of the sixth seal we catch a glimpse 
of the last persecution and the destruction of the world. 
This is to show that the prayers of the martyrs have 
already been heard in the designs of God, and shall be 
answered in due time. 



FALL OF ROMAN EMPIRE 



Verses 12-17 have, as we believe, a threefold applica- 
tion : 

1° To the fall of the pagan Empire of Rome. 
2° To the time of Antichrist. 
3° To the end of the world. 

In the first two applications the words of the 
prophecy must bear a symbolic meaning. They were 
thus interpreted by the early Christians. In the acts of 
the martyrs the persecution under Diocletian and the 
internal troubles of the Empire which followed were 
compared to an earthquake, — an evident allusion to this 
passage of the Apocalypse.^ 

12. Hence the earthquakes may be interpreted as 
the great disturbances in society that preceded the fall 
of the Roman Empire. Like disorders shall foreshadow 
the coming of Antichrist. The darkening of the sun is 
a symbol of the weakening of Catholic Faith by the 
spread of the Arian heresy. A similar weakening of 
Faith will occur before the days of Antichrist. 

The blood color of the moon caused by the darken- 
ing of the sun is an omen of wars and persecutions which 
follow these internal troubles of the Church. This 
prophecy was fulfilled at the time of the Arian heresy, 



(1) Cf. also Jeremias 1,46. 



76 



FALL OF ROMAN EMiPIRE 



and during the so-called Reformation of the sixteenth 
century. Similar wars will attend the coming of Anti- 
christ. 

13. In various passages of Scripture stars repre- 
sent the faithful.^ In the first chapter of the Apoc- 
alypse the bishops of the Church are symbolized by 
stars.^ The falling stars predict the defection of large 
numbers of bishops, priests, and faithful from the true 
Faith. History shows how these words were verified in 
the Arian heresy, the Greek schism, and the so-called 
Reformation. 

The stars fall thick and fast like winter figs from 
a tree shaken by a strong wind. Discord and laxity in 
church discipline prepare the way for great defections 
in time of trial and persecution. 

14, 15. The heavens are folded up as a scroll; 
earthly powers (mountains and islands) are in turmoil. 
Kings and princes flee for safety. This is a fitting de- 
scription of the fall of the Roman Empire under the 
barbarian inroads. The prophecy was also fulfilled in 
the overthrow of the Byzantine Empire by tJie Mos- 
lems, — a punishment of God for heresy and schism. The 
prophets of old foretold the fall of ancient empires in 
similar language.* 

When applied to the last days of the world these 

(2) Cf. Genesis xxxvii, 9; Daniel viii, 10. 

(3) Apocalypse i, 20. 

(4) Cf. Isaias xiii; Ezechiel x, xxii; Joel ii. > 



END OF WORLD 



77 



verses bear a more literal interpretation. Then shall 
'*the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her 
light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the pow- 
ers of heaven shall be moved.'" The sun will proba- 
bly be obscured by volcanic ashes sent up from many 
places as the result of terrible earthquakes and erup- 
tions of volcanoes. The veiled light of the moon will 
appear red as blood. Myriads of meteors resembling 
stars will fall to earth, kindling the whole world into 
flames. The heavens shall be rolled up as the scroll of 
a book. In other words, the atmosphere Avill be so ob- 
scured that the sun and moon will become invisible as at 
the beginning of creation. The mountains and conti- 
nents shall be overturned and the whole world shall 
return to chaos.*' 

Comparing this description with the first chapter of 
Genesis we find the confusion of elements occurring in 
inverse order to that of their unfolding at creation. The 
faithful who witness these terrible convulsions of nature 
will prepare for the judgment of God. They shall be 
more terrified at the anger of God and of His Christ than 
by the upheaval of the material world. 

16, 17. ^^Then shall men wither away from fear and 
expectation of what shall come upon the who^e 
world."' They will cry out in their terror: ^'0 ye 

(5) St. Matthew xxiv, 29; Isaias xxiv, 19, 20; xxxiv, 4. 

(6) Cf. St. Matthew xxiv, 29 ss.; St. Luke xxi, 25 ss. 

(7) St. Luke xxi, 26. 



78 



END OF WORLD 



mountains, fall upon u«! Ye hills, cover us!'' for 'who 
shall be able to withstand the wrath of God?''" This 
thought is beautifully expressed in the sequence of 
Masses for the dead: 

"Day of wrath, O day of mourning, 
Lo, the world in ashes burning. 
Seer and Sybil gave the warning. 
What shall I, frail man be pleading? 
Who for me be interceding 
When the just are mercy needing?" 



(8) Cf. Isaias ii, 9. 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



CHAPTER VII 

1. After these things, I saw four angels standing 
on the four corners of the earth, holding the four 
winds of the earth that they should not blow upon the 
earth, nor upon the sea, nor on any tree. 

2. And I saw another angel ascending from the 
rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God; 
and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to 
whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 

3. Saying: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor 
the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their 
foreheads. 

4. And I heard the number of them that were 
signed, an hundred forty-four thousand were si^ed, 
of every tribe of the children of Israel. 

5. Of the tribe of Juda wei-e twelve thousand 
signed; of the tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand signed; 
of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand signed; 

6. Of the tribe of Aser, twelve thousand signed; 
of the tribe of Nephthali, twelve thousand signed; of 
the tribe of Manasses, twelve thousand signed. 

7. Of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand signed; 
of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand signed; of the 
tribe of Isaachar, twelve thousand signed: 

8. Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand 
signed; of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand signed; 
of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand signed. 



80 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



This vision presages a period of comparative peace 
and security for the Church. By command of Christ the 
great persecutions are brought to an end that the Church 
may firmly establish herself upon the ruins of the old 
Koman Empire. Many Jews have accepted the teachings 
of Christ, and untold numbers from every race and 
tongue now flock to His standard. 

1. The Apostle sees four spirits ready to send forth 
the winds of earth bearing persecution, war, pestilence, 
and famine. In the prophecy of Zacharias thei four winds 
are four chariots bringing plagues upon earth." They 
symbolize evil spirits and unfaithful pastors who bring 
untold harm to the faithful by their false teachings and 
example. The four horsemen of the preceding vision are 
here replaced by charioteers to signify that the threat- 
ened scourges are more grievous than any yet predicted. 

2, 3. A faithful angel appears to prevent any injury 
to earth or sea until the servants of God are marked 
upon the forehead. This angel comes frora the East to 
indicate that he has received his mission from Christ. 
Zacharias refers to the Messias as the Orient (the 
East.') Hence it is Christ who brings persecution to 
an end that the Church may establish herself and spread 
the Gospel among Gentile peoples. 

The office of this good angel isi fulfilled by all bishops 

and priests, who by their teaching and example avert 

many evils. So today the teachings of the Church are 
— I 

(1) Zacharias vi, 1-5. 

(2) Zacharias vi, 12; St. Luke i, 78. 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



81 



the only remedy for the many ills that threaten society 
throughout the world. The nations must return to the 
Faith or perish from the earth.^ 

The strong voice is that of the Church which must 
resound unto the ends of the earth in preaching the 
Gospel. The sign upon the forehead represents the Sac- 
raments of Baptism and Confirmation which imprint a 
spiritual mark upon the soul. In ancient times to be 
baptized was to be '"signed." Confirmation was the 
^^seal" of God's gifts.' As Confirmation was given im- 
mediately after Baptism, the two Sacraments are here 
represented by the one seal. In a secondary sense the 
cross is the sign imprinted upon the life of every true 
Christian. It is the ' ' sign of the Son of man ' ' which shall 
appear in the heavens at the second coming of Christ.'' 

4-8. Every tribe of Israel furnishes numerous con- 
verts to the Faith of Christ. This multitude of Jewish 
believers is represented by the symbolic number 
of 12,000 from each tribe. The Jews were not all un- 
faithful to the Messias. Many of them received the Gos- 
pel even in the days of the Apostles as we learn from the 
Acts of the Apostles and from the Epistles of St. Paul. 

The tribe of Dan became so insignificant in numbers 
that it was never enumerated after the captivity. The 
number twelve was maintained by enumerating the two 



(3) Cf. Belloc, -'Europe and the Faith," 

(4) Catholic Library, Archeology Series, vol. ii, pages 42, 43; cf. 
also Ephesians i, 13; iv, 30. 

(5) St. Matthew xxiv, 30; cf. also Ezechiel ix, 4. 



82 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



half -tribes of Man asses and Ephraim, sons of Joseph. 
Bphraim is here represented by Joseph. 

From this omission of Dan, St. Irenaeus concluded 
that Antichrist will spring from his tribe.^ The prophecy 
of Jacob is cited in support of this belief: ^^Let Dan 
be a snake in the way; a serpent that biteth the horse's 
heels that the rider may fall backward."^ This explana- 
tion of St. Irenaeus has but little to commend it because 
the tribes of Israel have long since lost their identity. 

CHAPTER VII 

9. After this I saw a great multitude which no 
man could number of all nations, and tribes, and 
peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne in 
the sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes and 
palms in their hands 

10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: 
Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and 
to the Lamb. 

11. And aU the angels stood around about the 
throne, and the ancients and the four living creatures; 
and they fell down before the throne upon their faces 
and adored God. 

12. Saying: Amen. Benediction and glory and 
wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, and power, and 
strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

13. And one of the ancients answered, and said to 

me: These that are clothed in white robes, who are 

they? And whence came they? 
' ■ 

(5) St. Irenaeus, "Contra Haereses" xxx, 2. 

(6) Genesis xlix, 17. 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



83 



14. And I said to him: My Lord, thou knowest. 
And he said to me: These are they who are come out 
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and 
have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

15. Therefore they are before the throne of God, 
and they serve him day and night in his temple: and 
he that sitteth on the throne shall dw^ell over them. 

16. They shall no more hunger nor thirst, neither 
shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat. 

17. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the 
throne, shall rule them, .and shall lead them to the 
fountains of the waters of life, and God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes. 

9. Many Jews accept the Gospel of Christ, but the 
Gentiles who flock to His fold from every nation and 
tongue form so vast a multitude that no man can number 
them. There shall come from the east and the west, 
the north and the south; and. shall sit down in the king- 
dom of God.'" These elect shall be saved by purity of 
life symbolized by the white robes of innocence — an 
innocence obtained through the merits of Christ's death. 
Many shall also receive the glorious crown of martyrdom. 

10-12. All join in one great hymn of praise and 
thanksgiving to God and to the Lamb who is worthy to 
receive divine honors. 

With this vision persecutions cease; the Church 
comes forth triumphant from her long conflict with pagan 



(1) St. LukJe xiii, ,29. 



84 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



Eome. A Christian now sits upon the throne of the 
Caesars; the Gospel is being preached far and wide and 
magnificent basilicas are being erected in which the 
liturgy of the Church is carried out with grand solem- 
nity. The prophecy of Malachias is being fulfilled: 
'^From the rising of the sun even to the going down, 
my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place 
there is sacrifice and there is offered to my name a clean 
oblation : for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith 
the Lord of hosts.'" 

13-14. The faithful whom St. John beholds in the 
vision have passed through great tribulations. The era 
of persecution was a period of great tribulation for the 
whole Church as well as for those who actually suffered 
martyrdom. 

Trials and tribulations shall frequently recur dur- 
ing the history of the Church as our Lord foretold : ' ' If 
they have persecuted me they will also persecute you.*'^ 
The most trying persecutions will be suffered in the days 
of Antichrist and at the end of the world. 

The elect have washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb. They are saved by the 
merits of Christ's suffering and death, for ''there is no 
other name under heaven given to men whereby we must 
be saved."' 

15-17. Those who remain faithful to Christ, espe- 



(2) Malachias i, 11. 

(3) St. John XV, 20. 

(4) Acts of the Apostles iv, 12. 



THE CHURCH FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



85 



cially those who suffer for His sake, shall be rewarded 
in heaven for all their trials and sufferings on earth. 
There they shall be filled with all joy and consolation. 
^"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and 
death shall be no more, nor crying, nor sorrow.''^ Christ 
Himself shall rule over them all with an everlasting love. 



(5) Apocalypse xxi, 4 



THE VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



CHAPTER VIII 

1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there 
was silence in heaven, as it were for half an hour. 

2. And I saw seven angels standing in the pres- 
ence of God: and there were given to them seven 
trumpets. 

3 Another angel came, and stood before the altar, 
having a golden censer; and there was given to him 
much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all 
the saints upon the golden altar, which is before the 
throne of GoJ. 

4. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers 
of the saints ascended up before God from the hand 
of the angel. 

5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it 
with the fire of the altar, and cast it on earth, and there 
were thunders and voices and lightnings, and a great 
earthquake. 

6. And the seven angels, who had the seven 
trumpets, prepared themselves to sound the trumpet. 

7. And the first angel sounded the trumpet, and 
there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and 
it was cast on the earth, and the third part of the earth 
was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was 
burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 



VICISSITUDES OP THE CHURCH 



87 



The breaking of the seventh seal reveals the vicissi- 
tudes of the Church during the centuries which follow 
its establishment upon the ruins of the Eoman Empire. 
The varying fortunes of the Church during these cen- 
turies serve to separate the good from the bad. This 
work of separation goes on through all the centuries to 
be completed only at the last judgment. Hence the vis- 
ions of the seventh seal continue on to the end of the 
Apocalypse. ' 

We can now begin to realize how logically the 
prophecies of the Apocalypse are developed. Each suc- 
ceeding chapter presents in regular order a new period 
of the Church's existence on earth. 

1. Upon the breaking of the seventh seal there is 
silence in heaven, — a mark of reverence and awe. The 
half hour represents the time given St. John to contem- 
plate the vision set before him. 

2. The seven angels before the throne of God are 
ever ready to execute His commands for '^are they not 
all ministering spirits?"^ Seven, the perfect number, 
signifies the thoroughness with which God's every com- 
mand shall be carried into effect. In a symbolic meaning 
these angels represent the bishops and the priests of the 
Church. Each one is given a trumpet to proclaim the 
Gospel to the uttermost bounds of the earth. The voice 
shall be clear and strong, leaving no excuse for those 
who will not hear. 



(1) Hebrews i, 14. 



88 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



3, 4. Another angel offers to God the prayers of the 
faithful on the golden altar of incense. The prayers are 
symbolized by the sweet odors rising up before the 
throne of God. St. John takes much of his symbolism 
from the tabernacle and from the Temple of Jerusalem. 

During the wanderings of the Israelites in the wil- 
derness, the tabernacle furnished them a miniature rep- 
resentation of the court of heaven. In the Holy of 
Holies stood the ark of the covenant overshadowed by 
the outstretched wings of two cherubim. The lid of the 
ark was considered the throne of God who there dwelt 
amongst His people. Before the throne, but separated 
from it by a veil, stood the golden altar of incense in 
the Holy Place. Here the priests daily offered incense 
which arose before God as a sweet odor to symbolize the 
prayers of the people: ^^Let my prayer be directed as 
incense in thy sight.''' 

The tabernacle, — the earthly representation of the 
heavenly court, — ^w^as reproduced in the temple of Jeru- 
salem which thus became ''the pattern of heavenly 
things" as St. Paul says. Again he writes: ''Jesus is 
not entered into the Holies made with hands, the pat- 
terns of the true; but into heaven itself."^ Hence it is 
most appropriate for St. John to use the temple as a 
figure of the Church which is truly the dwelling place 
of God, the heavenly court on earth. 

The incense offered by the angel at the golden altar 



(2) Psalm cxl, 2. 

(3) Hebrews ix, 23, 24. 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



89 



of incense symbolizes the prayers of the faithful, and 
especially the holy sacrifice of the Mass offered to God 
through the ministry of the priesthood represented 
here, as elsewhere, by the angel. The altar of incense, 
and the altar of holocaust mentioned in vi, 9, probably 
symbolize Christ who offered Himself "a propitiation 
for our sins : and not for ours only, but also for those 
of the whole world," and is "always living to make 
intercession for us/'' 

5. The fire taken from the altar symbolizes the 
merits of Christ which give value to all our works and 
prayers, as the fire kindles the incense and sends forth 
its sweet perfumes. The fire is cast upon earth; in 
other words the merits of Christ are offered to the un- 
faithful who reject them and thus bring down the pun- 
ishments of God, — thunders, lightnings, and earthquakes. 
A similar punishment is predicted below in verse 7. 

6. The seven angels preparing to sound their trum- 
pets represent the bishops and priests of the Church 
going forth to preach the Gospel to every creature. 
Their voice shall resound through the world like a 
trumpet-blast. Christ said to His Apostles: ''That 
which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light; and 
that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the 
house-tops.''^ 

7. Some wdll hearken to the voice of Christ in the 



(4) I John ii, 2; Hebrews vii, 25. 

(5) St. Matthew x, 27. 



90 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



preaching of Tlis Gospel. Others wiJl harden their 
hearts and refuse to obey. These shall be chastisel by 
fire from heaven to destroy their harvests. The fire is 
mingled with blood, — a symbol of war and revolutions. 
Here is fulfilled the prophecy of the aged Simeon: '^Be- 
hold, this child set for the fall, and for the resurrec- 
tion of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be 
contradicted. ' 

According to St. Irenaeus, plagues similar to those 
of Egypt in the days of Moses shall afflict all unfaithful 
nations in the days of Antichrist.' 

CHAPTER VIII 

8. And the second angel sounded the trumpet; 
and as it 'were a great mountain, burning with fire, was 
cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became 
blood : 

9. And the third part of those creatures died, 
which had life in the sea, and the third part of the 
ships was destroyed. 

10. And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and 
a great star fell from heaven, burning, as it were, a 
torch, and it fell on the third part of the rivers, and 
upon the fountains of waters: 

11. And the name of zhe star is called Wormwood. 
And the third part of the waters became wormwood; 
and many men died of the waters, because they were 
made bitter. 



(6) St. Luke ii, 34. 

(7) St Irenaeus, *'Adversus Haereses" IV, 30, jv; cf. also Apoc- 
alypse xvi. 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



91 



12. And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, and 
the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third 
part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so 
that the third part of them was darkened and the day 
did not shine for a third part of it, and the night in 
like manner. 

1.3. And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle 
flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud 
voice: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth: 
by reason of the rest of the voices of the three angels, 
who are yet to sound the trumpet. 

8. At the sound of the second trnmpet a burning 
mountain, or volcano, is hurled into the sea thereby 
changing a third part of the waters to blood. In Holy 
Scripture a mountain symbolizes a powerful nation or 
government/ As usual the sea represents human so- 
ciety. The vision shows that despite the i^reaching of 
the Gospel some great nation will bring war and blood- 
shed upon a large portion of mankind. It also predicts 
great persecutions against the Church. Nations will 
seek to destroy the Church at all hazards. This double 
interpretation is fully confirmed by the history of the 
past and present. 

9. The fish are the faithful scattered amongst the 
people of the world. The ships are churches of the 
various nations. In the early ages the fish w^as a common 
symbol of Christ and of the faithful, as the ship was a 



(1) Cf. Jeremias li, 25; Zacharias iv, 7. 



92 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



figure of the Church.^ Numberless Christians and even 
whole churches have often perished in wars and persecu- 
tions. And only too often have the weaker brethren 
denied their Faith through fear of torture and death. 

10. As the third angel sounds his trumpet a great 
star falls from heaven like a flaming torch and poisons 
a large portion of the streams and even their very 
sources. The name w^ormwood denotes a bitter and 
poisonous nature. This vision is a striking image of 
unfaithful bishops and priests who fall from the firma- 
ment of the Church where Christ has placed them to 
enlighten and direct the world. By false teachings and 
example they poison the very sources of doctrine which 
should flow pure as water from the mountain torrent. 
Like our divine Saviour, the bishops and priests of the 
Church must be ''fountains of water springing up into 
life everlasting.''^ 

11. Unfortunately many of the faithful drink from 
these poisoned streams of false doctrine and so perish. 

12. The thoughts of many hearts are being revealed 
more and more as the Gospel is preached throughout the 
world.* Many reject it; others abandon it. There is a 
growing decadence in the Church. Its doctrine and 
sanctity shine with diminished lustre. The day is less 
brilliant; the night of ignorance becomes darker. This 



(2) Catholic Library, Archeolog-y Series, voi ii. page 83. 

(3) St. John iv, 14. 

(4) St. Luke ii, 35. 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



93 



is symbolized by the darkening of the sun, moon and 
stars. 

In such critical times in the past God has always 
raised up illustrious saints and religious orders to 
awaken the zeal and strengthen the faith of His people. 
He will most assuredly do likewise in the future for He 
said: '^Behold, I am with you all days even to the con- 
summation of the world. Many a time our Lord seems 
to sleep as the bark of His Church is beaten by the storm- 
tossed sea. In His own good time He arises to com- 
mand the waves: Peace be still.^ 

The prophecies of this chapter have been fulfilled 
many times in the past. No doubt they Avill often be 
verified in the future. It should be noted, however, that 
a progressive accumulation of evils is predicted. At 
first it affects individuals only (v. 7). Then a nation or 
an entire church is involved (v. 8), and a number of 
great heretics fall away from the Faith (v. 10). Finally 
the whole Church suffers from a weakening of Faith 
and discipline (v. 12). This gradual progression of evil, 
this ''mystery of iniquity" which was working even in 
the days of St. Paul,' will finally usher in the Antichrist. 

13. An eagle appears in mid-heaven proclaiming 
three great woes to follow the sounding of the remaining 
trumpets. Two interpretations are permissible. The 
first recognizes in the eagle a powerful nation which shall 



(5) St. Matthew xxviii, 20. 

(6) St. Luke viii, 23, 24. 

(7) II Thessalonians ii, 7. 



94 



VICISSITUDES OF THE CHURCH 



be an instrument of God's judgments upon the world. 
The other interpretation sees in the eagle a symbol of 
new preachers of the Gospel. God raises up new saints 
or religious orders to arouse the faithful to renewed 
faith and zeal in His service. Nevertheless, three great 
evils shall afflict the Church before her final victory over 
the world and the devil. 

Whatever interpretation be adopted, there can be 
no doubt that this verse heralds the beginning of a new 
and important epoch in the history of the Church. 



PART SECOND 



FROM THE OPENING OF THE ABYSS 
TO ITS CLOSING 



i». PREPARATION FOR THE REIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



PART II 

Form the Opening of the Abyss to Its Closing 

And I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth, 
and there was given to him the keg of the bottomless 
pit. And he opened the bottomless pit. 



APOCALYPSE 
ix, 1, 2, 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



CHAPTER IX 

1. And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and 
I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth, and there 
was given to him the key of the bottomless pit. 

2. And he opened the bottomless pit: and the 
smoke of the pit arose, as the smoke of a great fur- 
nace: and the sun and the air were darkened with the 
smoke of the pit. 

3. And from the smoke of the pit there came out 
locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, 
as the scorpions of the earth have power: 

4. And it was commanded them that they should 
not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, 
nor any tree; But only the men who have not the sign 
of God on their foreheads 

5. And it was given unto them that they should 
not kill them; but that they should torment them five 
months: And their torment was as the torment of a 
scorpion when he striketh a man. 

6. And in those days men shall seek death, and 
shall not find it: and they shall desire to die, and 
death shall fly from them. 

7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto 
horses prepared unto battle: and on their heads were, 
as it were crowns like gold: and their faces were as 
the faces of men. 

8. And they had hair as the hair of women; and 
their teeth were as lions: 



98 HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 

9. And they had breastplates as breastplates of 
iron, and the noise of their wings was as the noise of 
chariots and many horses running to battle. 

10. And they had tails like to scorpions, and there 
were stings in their tails; and their power was to 
hurt men five months. And they had over them 

11. A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose 
name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek ApoUyon; 
in Latin Exterminans. 

The vision described in this chapter is one of the 
most important of the whole Apocalypse. It foretells 
the first woe announced by the flymg eagle, — the condi- 
tions and events destined to usher in the reign of Anti- 
christ. 

1. In the fallen star ancient commentators saw a 
figure of Arius and other early heretics. As a matter 
of fact, any priest or bishop of the Church who becomes 
the leader of heresy may be compared to a star fallen 
from heaven. But in this case the star refers to some 
particular person whose revolt from the Church shall 
lead directly to the reign of Antichrist. 

We cannot agree with those who refer the beginning 
of this vision to the early ages of the Church. The 
prophecies of St. John are developed in regular order 
according to time This vision marks a new period of 
exceptional gravity for the Church. We hold with Cor- 
nelius a Lapide and many others that it refers to the 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



99 



pretended Reformation with the star as a symbol of 
Luther. In that case the fifth angel may be taken as a 
figure of the defenders of Catholic Faith in those days. 

The Arian heresy and the Greek schism had deplor- 
able results for the Church, but they cannot be com- 
pared to those of the religious upheaval of the sixteenth 
century. Most of the evils that afflict the Church and 
society in general can be traced directly to the so-called 
Reformation. To it must be ascribed the apostacy of 
nations, the weakening of faith, and the rapidly increas- 
ing impiety and unbelief of the present day. As a result 
of these evils great social disturbances appear on every 
side, and society is tottering to its very foundations. 
The reign of Antichrist, which must be relatively near, 
will mark the culmination of evil. 

2. Instead of the ''keys of heaven" this apostate 
priest received the ''key of the bottomless pit." He did 
in very truth open the pit by turning loose against the 
Church all the fury of hell. By tongue and pen he in- 
stilled into the hearts of individuals and nations a dia- 
bolic hatred of the Church which still manifests itself 
in calumny, misrepresentation and opposition to the 
Church. 

The dense smoke arising from the pit obscures the 
heavens. This signifies that the heresy shall succeed 
for a time. True Catholic doctrine is obscured and even 
lost to many peoples. 

3. From the smoke of the pit comes forth a swarm 



100 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



of locusts. Unlike ordinary locusts they attack men in- 
stead of growing plants* In this respect they have the 
power or nature of scorpions. These locusts are a fitting 
image of demons, heretics, and apostates who swarm over 
the earth spreading spiritual destruction far and wide. 

4, 5. These verses make it clear that there is no 
question of real locusts such as those that ravaged 
Egypt in the days of Moses. They are purely symbolic, 
and their ravages chiefly spiritual. Their sting burns 
and poisons the soul with false doctrines, but has no 
power to injure those who remain faithful to the graces 
received in Baptism and Confirmation. For a short time 
these locusts are permitted to harass and persecute with- 
out killing, but they cannot destroy the Church. 

6. In those days men seek death and find it not. 
The good would welcome death as an escape from the 
evils and miseries that surround them. Many who have 
been led astray by false doctrines w^ould likewise wel- 
come death as a relief from their doubts and remorse 
of conscience. 

7. The locusts resemble horses accoutred for war. 
Heresy and schism are ever fruitful sources of religious 
wars and persecutions. The crowns indicate that rulers, 
— emperors, kings, and princes will be arrayed against 
the Church as actually happened at the Reformation in 
the sixteenth century. The crowns merely resembled 
gold, because there was but a mere semblance of real 
Christian charity in those days. The human faces prove 
that these locusts symbolize real persons. 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



101 



8-10. The hair of a woman probably signifies vanity 
and immorality ; the teeth of a lion strength and cruelty. 
The breastplates of iron show preparedness for defense 
as well as for attack. The sound of their innumerable 
wings resembles the thunder of chariots rushing to battle. 
This indicates theii great numbers and impetuosity. The 
scorpion-like sting is a symbol of heresy that stings and 
poisons the soul. Its location in the tail signifies de- 
ceit and hypocrisy/ 

11. The king of these symbolic locusts is called the 
Destroyer (Exterminans). He is Lucifer, the angel of 
the abyss, the leader of the rebel angels. His minions 
on earth are the leaders of heresy, schism, and persecu- 
tion. 

CHAPTER IX 

12. One woe is past, and behold there come yet 
two woes more hereafter. 

13. And the sixth angel sounded the trumpet: 
and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden 
altar, which is before the eyes of God, 

14. Saying to the sixth angel, who had the 
trumpet: Loose the four angels, who are bound in the 
great river Euphrates. 

15. And the four angels were loosed, who were 
prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a 
year: for to kill the third part of men. 



(1) See below, verse 19. 



1©2 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



16. And the number of the army of horsemen was 
twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard 
the number of them. 

17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: and 
they that sat on them, had breastplates of fire and of 
hyacinth and of brimstone, and the heads of the horses 
were as the heads of lions: and from their mouths pro- 
ceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone. 

18. And by these three plagues was slain the 
third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke and 
by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 

19. For the power of the horses is in their mouths, 
and in their tails. For, their tails are like to serpents, 
and have heads: and with them they hurt. 

2'0. And the rest of the men, who were not slain 
by these plagues, did not do penance from the works 
of their hands, that they should not adore devils, and 
idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and 
wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk. 

21. Neither did they penance from their murders, 
nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor 
from their thefts. 

12. The invasion of the locusts is the first woe pre- 
dicted by the eagle. The two yet to come will fill up 
the ''mystery of iniquity" with the appearance of Anti- 
christ and his prophet. 

13. God sends a sixth angel to instruct and guide 
the Church. This mission will still further reveal the 
thoughts of many hearts. The wicked continue to be 
separated from the just. 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



103 



A voice from the golden altar commands the cap- 
tive angels of the Euphrates to be released. As noted 
above, the altar is Christ, who makes trials and tribula- 
tions a means of sanctification for souls and an increase 
of fervor and holiness in the Church. They also serve 
to spread the blessings of the Gospel for as Tertullian 
says: ''The blood, of martyrs is the seed of Christians." 

Christ Himself gives command to release the cap- 
tive angels, thus showing that the enemies of the Church 
have no power against her unless God permits. The 
Church can say to her enemies as Christ said to Pilate: 
''Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless 
it were given thee from above.'" 

14. The captive angels are demons who will arouse 
new enemies and increased enmities against the Church. 
In a figurative sense they represent the new enemies thus 
aroused against the Church, whether they be nations, in- 
dividuals or secret societies hostile to her. Four, the 
number of univeT'sality, indicates how widespread will be 
their influence. 

With the prophets of old the region of the Euphrates 
was ever the country whence came the enemies of God's 
people. Its mention here indicates that these new^ ene- 
mies will arise among nations already hostile to the 
Church. In a secondary sense the term may be taken 
literally to represent peoples from that region who are 
hostile to the Church. 



(1) Tertullian, "Apology'^ c. 50 

(2) St. John xix, 11. 



104 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



The four angels of the Euphrates, now ordered to 
be released, may be the same as those whom Christ for- 
bade to injure the earth until the Church could be firmly 
established after the persecutions.^ 

15. Even the time for the manifestation of these 
evil spirits and their minions has been accurately fixed 
in the designs of Providence. The very day and hour 
has been determined. 

Great numbers will be done to death in the religious 
wars and revolutions stirred up by these angels from the 
Euphrates. The prophecy may also mean that large 
numbers will be led into new errors and schisms. Both 
interpretations are fully justified by the history of the 
pretended Reformation and the wars that followed it. 

16. These scourges shall be more terrible than any 
yet predicted. The first plagues were brought to earth 
by four horsemen (ch. vi). Then we saw four char- 
ioteers, the four winds, ready to scourge mankind. Here 
we find a vast array of cavalry. The chastisements sent 
upon the world increase with the growth of iniquity and 
the approach of Antichrist. 

17. 18. The description of horses and riders in this 
vision gives some idea of their boldness, strength, and 
cunning ferocity. They inflict upon men the plagues of 
fire, smoke and sulphur. The fire is persecution and 
war. Smoke symbolizes the obscuring of doctrine and 



(3) See above, vii, 1. 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



105 



the weakening of faith; sulphur^ the moral depravity 
which follows. 

The fire, smoke and sulphur issue from the mouth 
of the horses. From the mouth should proceed words 
of wisdom; instead there come forth heresies, and incite- 
ments to revolt and revolution. It should be noted that 
Luther openly preached revolt and revolution to the 
peasants of Germany, but when they put his words into 
practice, he turned to the princes and urged them to 
stamp out the revolt with fire and sword. 

19. The horses of this vision inflict injuries with 
their tails which resemble serpents. Amongst all peoples 
the serpent is a symbol of lying and hypocrisy. These 
vices have ever characterized the enemies of the Church. 

There is no question here of real artillery as some 
have imagined. St. John is giving only the broad out- 
lines of the Church's history. He is not concerned with 
the material means employed by men to wage war 
against her. 

The vision of locusts and the vision of cavalry 
horses are not two representations of one and the same 
event. They foreshadow two distinct events that follow 
one another in the order of time. The one is the great 
revolt against the Church brought about by the fallen 
star. The other consists of wars and disturbances which 
follow in the wake of that revolt. 

20, 21. After these plagues have passed there still 



106 



HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS 



remain many who worship idols, and many guilty of 
robbery, murder, and immorality. This is verified today. 
Although nineteen twenty have elapsed since the first 
preaching of the Gospel, whole nations are still steeped 
in idolatry, and Christendom seems hopelessly divided by 
heresy and schismu Man's obstinacy in evil brings on 
the plagues described in subsequent chapters. 



Part II. r 
A PREPARATORY VISION 



CHAPTER X 

1. And I saw another mighty angel come down 
from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was 
on his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet 
as pillars of fire. 

2. And he had in his hand a little book open: and 
he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot 
upon the earth. 

3. And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion 
roareth. And when he had cried seven thunders ut- 
tered their voices. 

4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their 
voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from 
heaven saying to me: Seal up the things which the 
seven thunders have spoken,- and write them not. 

5. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the 
sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven. 

6. And swore by him that liveth for ever and ever, 
who created heaven, and the things which are therein; 
and the earth, and the things which are in it; and the 
sea, and the things which are therein; That time shall 
be no longer. 

7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh 
angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the 
mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared 
by his servants, the prophets. 



108 



A PREPARATORY VISION 



1. An angel coming in clouds of grace and glory- 
brings to St. John a book of further prophecies. The 
rainbow about his head symbolizes mercy/ while the 
brightness of his countenance expresses the power of his 
teachings to enlighten souls. The feet as of fire indicate 
that he shall lead the Church in the ways of truth and 
justice as the pillar of fire guided the Israelites in the 
wilderness.' 

2. The book is open to signify that the prophecies 
therein revealed to St. John are intelligible and shall be 
understood in due time according to the needs of the 
Church. The angel places one foot upon the sea, the 
other upon the land to express God's supreme dominion 
over all things. 

3. 4. The voice like the roar of a lion is the voice 
of the Gospel which shall penetrate to the very ends of 
the earth teaching divine truth, condemning error, and 
threatening persecutors with the vengeance of God. Here, 
as elsewhere, the thunders may symbolize the anathemas 
of the Church against all wickedness and error; but it 
would be useless to comment on their exact meaning 
since St. John was commanded to seal up their words. 
In like manner Daniel was ordered to seal up the words 
of his prophecies until the time appointed by God for 
their publication.^ The words of the seven thunders 
may also have been such as St. Paul heard — ''secret 
words which it is not granted to man to utter. 

(1) See above, page 58. 
(/2) Exodus xiii, 21. 

(3) Daniel xii, 4. 

(4) II Corinthians xii, 4. 



A PREPARATORY VISION 



109 



5, 6. Lifting his hand to heaven the angel calls 
upon the God of all creation to witness the truth of his 
words that time shall be no more. This does not mean 
that the end of the world is at hand, but that the time 
for judgment against obstinate sinners and persecutors 
has arrived. 

7. This judgment shall be the great persecution of 
Antichrist and its attendant evils. Then shall be accom- 
plished the '^mystery of God" which has been announced 
(evangelized) by the prophets of old. To evangelize 
is to announce good tidings, hence this ''mystery of 
God" is probably the plenitude of the Redemption 
applied to all nations of earth. x\fter the destruction of 
Antichrist and his kingdom all peoples shall accept the 
Gospel and the Church of Christ shall reign peacefully 
over all nations.' 



CHAPTER X 

8. And I heard a voice from heaven again speak- 
ing to me, and saying: Go, and take the book that is 
open, from the hand of the angel who standeth upon 
the sea, and upon the earth. 

9. And I went to the angel, saying unto him, that 
he should give me the book. And he said to me: Take 
the book, and eat it up: and it shall make thy belly 
bitter but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. 



(5) See below, ''Universal Reign of Christ." 



110 



A PREPARATORY VISION 



10. And I took the book from the hand of the 
angel, and ate it up: and it was in my mouth sweet 
as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 

11. And he said to me: Thou must prophecy again 
to many nations, and peoples, and tongues, and kings. 



8-10. Eating the book symbolizes an intimate union 
with the Holy Ghost by which the mind of the Apostle 
is illuminated with the spirit of prophecy. St. John 
finds the book sweet to the taste because it announces 
mercy to the elect and the final triumph of the Church. 
It is bitter in so far as it predicts dire persecution for 
the Church and terrible punishment for the wicked. 

11. The angel commands St. John to announce to 
all the prophecy communicated to him concerning the 
reign of Antichrist, the subsequent triumph of the 
Church, and the final persecution under Gog and Magog. 



Part n. !• 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



CHAPTER XI 

1. And there was given to me a reed like unto a 
rod: and it was said to me: Arise, and measure the 
temple of Grod, and the altar and them that adore 
therein. 

2. But the court, which is without the temple, 
cast out, and measure it not: because it is given unto 
the Grentiles, and the holy city they shall tread under 
foot two and forty months. 

3. And I will give unto my two witnesses, and 
they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred sixty days, 
clothed in sackcloth. 

4. These are the two olive trees, and the two can- 
dlesticks, that stand before the Lord of the earth. 

5. And if any man will hurt them, fire shall come 
out of their mouths, and shall devour their enemies. 
And if any man will hurt them, in this manner must he 
be slain. 

6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain 
not in the days of their prophecy: and they have power 
over waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the 
earth with all plagues as often as they will. 

7. And when they shall have finished their testi- 
mony, the beast, that ascendeth out of the abyss, shall 
make war against them, and overcome them, and kill 
them. 



112 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



8. And their bodies shall lie in the streets of the 
great city, which is called spiritually, Sodom and Egypt, 
where their Lord also was crucified. 

9. And they of the tribes, and peoples, and tongues, 
and nations, shall see their bodies for three days and a 
half: and they shall not suffer their bodies to be laid in 
sepulchres. 

10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall re- 
joice over them, and make merry: and shall send gifts 
one to another, because these two prophets tormented 
them that dwelt upon earth, 

11. And after three days and a half, the spirit of 
life from God entered into them. And they stood upon 
their feet, and great fear fell upon them that saw them. 

12. And they heard a great voice from heaven, say- 
ing to them: Come up hither. And they went up to 
heaven in a cloud: and their enemies saw them. 

13. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, 
and the tenth part of the city fell: and there were slain 
in the earthquake names of men seven thousand: and 
the rest were cast into a fear, and gave glory to the 
God of heaven. 

The account of the two witnesses given here in one 
connected discourse, necessitates a brief outline of the 
reign of Antichrist, his persecution of the Church, and 
his overwhelming defeat, — events to be more fully re- 
lated in subsequent chapters. 

1. St. John is commanded to measure the temple 
and number the people found therein. Here again, the 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



113 



temple is a figure of the Church and those who worship 
there are the faithful who remain steadfast during the 
great persecution of Antichrist. 

2. The outer court, cast off and given over to the 
Gentiles, signifies that a great number of Christians will 
fall away from the Faith in those evil days. With the 
other followers of Antichrist they will trample Jerusalem 
beneath their feet during the forty-two months of per- 
secution. The holy city is here taken literally for Jeru- 
salem, but it is also a figure of the Church, the chief 
object of attack under Antichrist. 

3. At the beginning of this terrible persecution God 
will send two prophets, or '^witnesses,'' to guide the 
Church and preach penance for the space of 1260 days. 
According to all tradition, both Jewish and Christian, the 
prophet Elias, will be one of these witnesses. ''Behold 
I will send you Elias the prophet, before the coming of 
the great day of the Lord.'" The tradition is also con- 
firmed by the words of Christ: ''Elias indeed shall come 
and restore all things.''^ The other witness will proba- 
bly be Henoch, who like Elias, "was translated that he 
should not see death. ''^ Yet some think that Moses will 
be the second witness because he appeared with Elias at 
the Transfiguration of Christ.* The two witnesses shall 
appear among men as apostles of the Church and adver- 
saries of Antichrist. 

(1) Malachias iv, 5. 

(2) St. Matthew xvii, 11. 

(3) rv Kings ii, 3; Epistle to Hebrews xi, 5, 

(4) St. Matthew xvii, 3. 



114 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



The duration of the persecution is sometimes given 
in years; at other times in months or days, but in every 
case the same definite length of time is predicted. This 
seems to indicate that the three and one-half years are 
to be taken literally. 

4. The two witnesses were symbolized by the two 
olive trees and the candlestick mentioned in the prophecy 
of Zacharias.' The olive is a symbol of God's mercy as 
in the days of the deluge.' The oil from the olive also 
symbolizes the unction of the Holy Ghost poured forth 
upon the two prophets who are to be lights (candle- 
sticks) to the faithful by their preaching. 

5, 6. The two witnesses shall have miraculous power 
to overcome their enemies as Elias of old destroyed the 
soldiers of Ochozias with fire from heaven.' They shall 
also punish the unfaithful with drought and famine as 
did Elias in the days of Achab.^ Changing water into 
blood may mean that the rivers shall run red with blood 
from wars and revolutions. More probably the words 
should be taken literally to foretell plagues such as 
Moses brought upon the land of Egypt.** In either case 
there is a reference to the plagues of Egypt which seems 
to confirm the belief that Moses shall be one of the wit- 
nesses. 

7. Having fulfilled their mission the two prophets 

(5) Zacharias iv, 3. 

(6) Genesis viii, 11. 

(7) IV Kings i, 10-14. 

(8) in Kings xvii, 1. 

(9) Exodus vii, 20 ss. 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



115 



will be put to death by Antichrist, — the beast from the 
abyss/' Thus will they share the fate of their divine 
Master and of innumerable heralds of the Gospel. Their 
martyrdom will take place at the end of a war in which 
Antichrist and his followers will win the decisive battle 
in the vicinity of Jerusalem. 

8-10. For three days and. a half the bodies of the 
martyred prophets shall lie unburied in the streets of 
Jerusalem where our Lord was crucified." The enemies 
of the Church will rejoice and commemorate their short- 
lived victory by exchange of gifts. Like the Jews of 
old who thought they had rid themselves of Christ by 
His death on the Cross, these enemies of His Church will 
think they have done with the prophets who harassed 
them by their preaching and miracles. Naturally, the 
faithful will be seized with fear, as were the disciples 
at the death of our Lord. 

11, 12. At the end of three days and a half the 
followers of Antichrist shall be dumbfounded to see the 
two prophets arise from the dead and ascend into 
heaven before their very eyes. 

Centuries before, Blias and Henoch had been taken 
up from earth" and reserved for this supreme conflict. 
Now by a special privilege they anticipate the general 
resurrection as a reward for their labors and sufferings. 

This triumph of the two prophets leads directly to 



(10) See below, xiii, 1. 

(11) Genesis v, 22; Eccli xlvii, 9, 10; IV King's ii, 11; Hebrews xi, 5. 



116 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



the defeat of Antichrist as foretold by Isaias : ' ' With 
the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked one.''" 
In like manner St. Paul says: ''Then that wicked one 
shall be revealed whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the 
spirit of His mouth. ""^ These passages seem to imply 
a personal intervention by our Lord but He may send 
an angel as His instrument of destruction; or, perhaps, 
Elias will rain down fire from heaven upon Antichrist 
as he did upon the soldiers of Ochozias and the priests 
of Baal." 

13. As the two prophets are taken up to heaven 
Jerusalem is shaken with a mighty earthquake in which 
seven thousand people perish and a tenth part of the 
city is destroyed. At sight of these prodigies all who 
survive are converted and begin to praise and glorify 
God. Here is seen the ^reat mercj^ of God who pun- 
ishes not to destroy but to convert and save. 



CHAPTER XI 

14. And the second woe is past: And behold the 
third woe wiU come quickly. 

15. And the seventh angel sounded the trumpet: 
and there were great voices in heaven, saying: The 
kingdom of this world is become our Lord's and his 
Christ's, and he shall reign for ever and ever, Amen. 



(12) Isaias xi, 4. 

(13) n Tlwssalonians ii, 8. 

(14) 111 Kings xvii, 38-40; IV Kings i, 10-14; cf. below, xiv, J8. 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



117 



16. And the four and twenty ancients, who sit on 
their seats in the sight of God, fell on their faces and 
adored God, saying: 

17. We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who 
art, and who wast, and who art to come: because thou 
hast taken to thee thy great power, and thou hast 
reigned. 

18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is 
come, and the time of the dead, that they should be 
judged and that thou shouldst render reward to thy ser- 
vants the prophets and the saints, and to them that fear 
thy name, little and great, and shouldst destroy them 
who have corrupted the earth. 

19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven: 
and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple, 
and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earth- 
quake, and great hail. 

14. The reign of Antichrist is the second woe an- 
nounced by the eagle/ The third woe following close 
upon the second shall end with the destruction of Eooae, 
the new Babylon/ and the defeat of the false prophet. 

15. The seventh angel proclaims the triumph of 
Christ and His kingdom which shall endure until the 
end of time. The Church, the kingdom of Christ, shall 
be established upon the ruins of the empire of Antichrist 
far more gloriously than it had been upon the ruins of 
the old empire of pagan Rome. Heresies, schisms and 
religious wars shall be no more, and all nations shall be 
converted to Christianity. 



(1) Apocalypse viii, 13. 

(2) Apocalypse xviii. 



118 



THE TWO WITNESSES 



16, 17. The paeans of the four and twenty ancients 
to their triumphant Saviour represent the praises of the 
Church given to Christ through the ministry of the 
priesthood. 

18. Toward the end of the world a final revolt 
against the Church shall be punished by a deluge of 
fire.^ Shortly thereafter shall come the resurrection of 
the body, and the general judgment in which God will 
reward His prophets and saints, and all who fear His 
name be they great or small. The wicked shall then 
suffer the just punishment of their iniquity. 

19. If this verse be connected with the foregoing, 
it describes the intervention of Christ to protect His 
Church against her enemies in the last conflict at the 
end of the world. It seems better, however, to take it 
as a prelude to the following chapter. It then refers to 
the assistance which God gives His Church in her con- 
flict with Satan mentioned above (vv. 2, 3), and described 
at length in the following chapters. 

The ark of the testament is the Eucharistic Taber- 
nacle in which Christ dwells with His Church. The 
lightnings, voices, and earthquake (thunders, in Greek) 
symbolize the preaching and warnings of the Church; 
her anathemas and judgments against all heresy and 
schism, and the divine punishment which these sins bring 
down upon those guilty of them. 



(3) Apocalypse xx. 



Part II. 1^ 

CONFLICT BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND SATAN 



CHAPTER XII 

1. And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman 
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and 
on her head a crown of twelve stars: 

2. And being with child, she cried travailing in 
birth and was in pain to be delivered. 

3. And there was seen another sign in heaven: and 
behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten 
herns: and on his heads seven diadems: 

4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of 
heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon 
stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; 
that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her 
son. 

5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to 
rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was 
taken up to God and to his throne. 

6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where 
she had a place prepared by God, that there they should 
feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days. 

7. And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael 
and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon 
fought and his angels. 



120 OONFLICT BETW«)BN CHURCH AND SATAN 

8. And they prevailed not, neither was their place 
found any more in heaven. 

9. And that great dragon was cast out, that old 
serpent who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth 
the whole world: and he was cast unto earth, and his 
angels were thrown down with him. 

In the foregoing chapter St. John outlines the his- 
tory of the Churcli from the coming of Antichrist until 
the end of the world in order to give a connected account 
of the two prophets Elias and Henoch, (or Moses) and 
the result of their labors. In this chapter he shows us 
the true nature of that conflict. It shall be war unto 
death between the Church and the powers of darkness 
in a final effort of Satan to destroy the Church and thus 
prevent the universal reign of Christ on earth. 

Satan will first attempt to destroy the power of the 
Papacy and bring about the downfall of the Church 
through heresies, schisms and persecutions that must 
surely follow. Failing in this he will then attack the 
Church from without. For this purpose he will raise up 
Antichrist and his prophet to lead the faithful into error 
and destroy those who remain steadfast. 

1. The Church, the faithful spouse of Jesus Christ, 
is represented as a woman clothed in the glory of divine 
grace. In the Canticle of Canticles the Church is like- 



OONFIJCT BETWEEN CHURCH AND SATAN 121 

wise described as ^'she that cometh forth as the morning 
rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun. ' " The bright- 
ness of the sun is a fitting symbol for the enlightening 
power of the Church's teachings. 

The moon was beneath her feet. St. Gregory the 
Great and St. Augustine see in this the dominion of the 
Church over the whole world, and her contempt for the 
perishable goods of this life. The moon with its ever 
changing phases is a figure of the transitory things of 
earth. 

The crown of twelve stars represents the twelve 
Apostles and through them the whole ministry of the 
Church. It may also denote the assembly of faithful na- 
tions symbolized by the mystic number twelve. 

2. The Church is ever in labor to bring forth chil- 
dren to eternal life. In the sad days here predicted the 
sorrows and pains of delivery shall be increased many 
fold. In this passage there is, an evident allusion to 
some particular son of the Church whose power and 
influence shall be such that Satan will seek his destruc- 
tion at any cost. This person can be none other than 
the Pope to be elected in those days. The Papacy will 
be attacked by all the powers of hell. In consequence 
the Church will sufl:er great trials and afflictions in secur- 
ing a successor upon the throne of Peter. 

The words of St. Paul to the Thessalonians may De 
a reference to the Papacy as the obstacle to the coming 



(1) Canticle of Canticles vi, 9. 



122 CONFLICT BETWEEN CHURCH AND SATAN 



of Antichrist: ''You know what withholdeth, that he 
may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity 
already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, 
until he be taken out of the way. And then that wicked 
one shall be revealed."^ 

3. St. John now sees in heaven a red dragon with 
seven heads and ten horns ; each head bearing a diadem. 
The dragon is Satan red with the blood of martyrs which 
he will cause to flow. The meaning of the seven heads 
and ten horns must be sought in the description of the 
beast that represents Antichrist where they symbolize 
kings or worldly powers.^ Those of the dragon must 
have a similar meaning, and indicate that Satan's attacks 
against the Church will be organized and carried out by 
the governments and ruling powers of those days. 

With the beast of Antichrist only the horns have 
diadems as symbols of royalty or governing power. The 
heads are branded with names of blasphemy.* Hence 
they symbolize the sins and errors that will afflict the 
Church. Seven, the number of universality, indicates 
that in this final struggle to prevent the universal reign 
of Christ all forms of sin and error will be marshalled 
against the Church. A prelude to this may be seen in 
the errors of Modernism which has been rightly desig- 
nated "a synthesis of all heresies." The number seven 
is also appropriate since all sins are included in the 
seven capital sins. In like manner all errors that have 



(2) II Thessalonians ii, 6, 7. 

(3) Apocalypse xvii, 9-12. 

(4) Apocalypse xiii, 1. 



CONFJ.ICT BETWF:EN church and SATAN 123 

afflicted the Church may be summed up in these seven: 
Judaism, paganism, Arianism, Mohammedanism, Protes- 
tantism, rationalism, and atheism. 

The dragon is seen in heaven which is here a symbol 
of the Church, the kingdom of heaven on earth. This 
indicates that the first troubles of those days will be 
inaugurated within the Church by apostate bishops, 
priests, and peoples, — the stars dragged down by the tail 
of the dragon. 

4. The tail of the dragon represents the cunning 
hypocrisy with which he succeeds in deceiving a large 
number of people and pastors — a third part of the stars. 
Arianism led av/ay many bishops, priests and peoples. 
The pretended Reformation of the sixteenth century 
claimed still larger numbers but these cannot be com- 
pared to the numbers seduced by Satan in the days of 
Antichrist. 

The dragon stands before the woman ready to de- 
vour the child that is brought forth. Tn other words, the 
powers of hell seek by all means to destroy the Pope 
elected in those days. 

5. The woman brings forth a son to rule the nations 
with a rod of iron. These are the identical words of 
prophecy uttered by the Psalmist concerning our Saviour 
Jesus Christ." They confirm our application of this vision 
to the Pope, the vicar of Christ on earth to rule the na- 
tions in His stead and by His power. 



(5) Psalm ii, 9. 



124 CONFLICT BETWEiEN CHURCH AND SATAN 

It is now the hour for the powers of darkness. The 
new-born Son of the Church is taken ^'to God and to His 
throne. Scarcely has the newly elected Pope been en- 
throned when he is snatched away by martyrdom. The 
mystery of iniquity" gradually developing through the 
centuries, cannot be fully consummated while the power 
of the Papacy endures, but now he that ' ^ withholdeth is 
taken out of the way." During the interregnum ''that 
wicked one shall be revealed" in his fury against the 
Church. 

It is a matter of history that the most disastrous 
periods for the Church were times when the Papal throne 
was vacant, or when anti-popes contended with the legit- 
imate head of the Church. Thus also shall it be in those 
evil days to come. 

6. The Church deprived of her chief pastor must 
seek sanctuary in solitude there to be guided by God 
Himself during those trying days. This place of refuge 
prepared for the Church is probably some nation, or 
nations, that remain faithful to her.^ In those days the 
Church shall also find refuge and consolation in faithful 
souls, especially in the seclusion of the religious life. 

7. St. Michael, the guardian angel of the Church, 
shall come with his hosts to defend her against the on- 
slaughts of Satan and his minions. The followers of St. 
Michael are the angelic hosts of heaven and all faithful 
bishops and priests of the Church. The minions of Satan 



(6) See below, v. 14. 



CONPIJCT BETWEEN CHTTRCH AND SATAN 



125 



are the fallen angels with the leaders of heresy, schism, 
and persecution. 

8, 9. The battle is waged in the Church, the king- 
dom of heaven, from which the dragon and his angels 
are cast out and hurled down to earth. The earth sym- 
bolizes the nations hostile to the Church, — the world over 
which Satan rules. By the aid of St. Michael the Church 
shall purge herself of all heretics, schismatics and apos- 
tates. A similar work was accomplished by the Council 
of Trent in the sixteenth century. 



CHAPTER XII 

10. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: 
Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom 
of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the 
accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them 
before our God day and night. 

11. And they overcame him by the blood of the 
Lamb, and by the word of the testimony, and they loved 
not their lives unto death. 

12. Therefore rejoice, O heaven, and you that dwell 
therein. Woe to the earth, and to the sea, because the 
devil is come down unto you, having great vrath, know- 
ing that he hath but a short time. 

13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast 
unto earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth 
the man child: 



126 



CONPLICT BETWEEiN CHURCH AND SATAN 



14. And there was given to the woman two wings 
of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto 
her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, 
and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 

15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the 
woman, water as it were a river; that he might cause 
her to be carried away by the river. 

16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth 
opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river, which the 
dragon cast out of his mouth. 

17. And the dragon was angry against the woman: 
and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who 
kept the commandments of God, and have the testimony 
of Jesus Christ. 

18. And he stood upon the sands of the sea. 



10, 11. St. Michael and his angels give glory to God 
for the victory of the Church which is achieved by the 
power of the Precious Blood shed for man's redemption. 
Satan is overcome according to Christ's testimony that 
^Hhe gates of hell shall never prevail'' against His 
Church.' Victory was also made possible by the invinci- 
ble courage of the faithful who hesitated not to give 
their life in defense of the Church. Those shall be days 
of great persecution in which the Church will suffer all 
the horrors of the early ages, but she will likewise be 
crowned with the glory of innumerable martyrs. 



(1) St. Matthew xvi, 18. 



CONFLICT BETWEEN CHURCH AND SATAN 127 

12, 13. The Church is called upon to rejoice over 
the defeat of the dragon and the glorioUvS martyrdom of 
her children; but woe to the earth and the sea, — all man- 
kind. Realizing that the time of his power is short, 
Satan will now loose upon earth all his rage and fury 
in a last effort against the Church. His attempt to de- 
stroy her from within having failed, he will now seek 
to crush her by hatred and persecution from without. 

14. In this new danger the Church shall receive the 
wings of an eagle to defend her and carry her to the 
place of refuge which God has prepared." The wings are 
probably two armies sent in defense of the Church by 
some nation that remains faithful. This interpretation 
seems justified by verse 16. 

In a spiritual sense the two wings are faith and 
prayer. In the faith and prayer of her children, and 
especially in the contemplative life of religious orders 
the Church shall find a refuse of consolation which 
Satan cannot violate. The desolation of those three and 
one-half years may be compared to that of the three days 
following our Lord's death on the Cross. The faith and 
prayers of Mary, of the holy women, and of the Apostles 
afforded the only consolation in those days of anguish. 

This chapter indicates that the Church shall find 
refuge for three and one-half years on tAvo different 
occasions; the one during the internal warfare against 
the Church and the other after the dragon has been east 



(2) See above, y. 6. 



128 CONFLICT BETWEEN CHURCH AND SATAN 

out. It is possible that the two-fold attack against the 
Church will be carried on simultaneously, making the 
refuge mentioned in verse 6 coincide with the one men- 
tioned here. However, the whole context seems to be 
against such an interpretation. 

15, 16. The dragon now seeks to overwhelm the 
Church with a veritable iiood of tribulations, but some 
faithful nation, or nations, (the earth) comes to her 
rescue. This verse proves that the great revolt of 
nations mentioned by St. PauP will not be universal. 
God will preserve at least one nation to defend the 
Church in that hour when, humanly speaking, everything 
seems hopeless. 

17, 18. Satan now realizes that victory will be diffi- 
cult. His first attempt failed miserably. In this second 
conflict new tactics must be employed. He will now seek 
to lead the faithful astray by a false Messias whom he 
will raise up in the person of Antichrist. This new ad- 
versary is to spring from the sea,-— the nations already 
hostile to the Church, — hence Satan takes his stand by 
the shore to call forth the man of sin, the son of perdi- 
tion.^ It is a solemn moment of ^'fear and expectation 
of what shall come upon the whole world.''' 



(S) II Thiessalonians ii, 3. 

(4) II Thessalonians ii, 3. 

(5) St. Luke xxi, 26 



Part II. 2° 



THE REIGN AND CONDEMNATION OF ANTICHRIST 



ANTICHRIST AND HIS PROPHET 



CHAPTER XIII 

1. And I saw a beast coming up out of tlie sea, 
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns 
ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. 

2. And the beast, which I saw, was like to a 
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and 
his mouth as the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave 
him his own strength, and great power. 

3. And I saw one of his heads as it were slain to 
death: and his death's wound was healed. And all the 
earth was in admiration after the beast. 

4. And they adored the dragon, which gave power 

to the beast, and they adored the beast, saying: Who 
is like to the beast? and who shall be able to fight with 
him? 

5. And there was given to him a mouth speaking 
great things, and blasphemies: and power was given to 
him to do two and forty months. 

6. And he opened his mouth unto blasphemies 
against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, 
and them that dwell in heaven. 



130 



RMGN OF ANTICHRIST 



7. And it was given unto him to make war with 
the saints, and to overcome them. And power was given 
him over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation. 

8. And all that dwell upon the earth adored him, 
whose names are not written in the book of life of the 
Lamb, which was slain from the beginning of the world. 

9. If any man have an ear, let him hear. 

10. He that shall lead into captivity, shall go into 
captivity: he that shall kill by the sword, must be killed 
by the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the 
saints. 

1. The beast from the sea is Antichrist who was 
foretold by Daniel, the prophet, in a vision quite similar 
to this of St. John J Our study of the Apocalypse thus 
far makes it certain that the beast cannot be identified 
with the Roman Empire as many interpreters have done. 
Others, following the opinion of St. Augustine," take the 
beast as a symbol of all the wicked and unfaithful. This 
interpretation is true in a measure since Antichrist could 
not accomplish his nefarious work without disciples and 
followers. Hence the beast may be taken by extension 
to represent the whole empire of Antichrist. Neverthe- 
less it is certain, in fact Suarez holds it as an article of 
faith, that Antichrist is a definite individual. The words 
of St. Paul to the Thessalonians leave no room for doubt 

in this matter.'' 
■ — f— . 

(1) Daniel vii, 19-22. 

(2) St. Augustine, "City of God" xx, 19. 

(3) II Thessalonians ii, 3-9. 



REIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



131 



It is a very general opinion that Antichrist will set 
himself up as the Messias. This opinion seems to be sup- 
ported by the words of our Saviour: ''I am come in the 
name of my Father, and you receive me not: if another 
shall come in his own name, him you v/ill receive/'* 
This pretension to Messiasship will make it necessary 
that he spring from the Jewish race. 

The coming of Antichrist opens the decisive conflict 
between the Church and the powers of hell. It shall be 
the complete realization of the prophecy of Genesis: '^I 
will put enmities between thee and tlie woman and thy 
seed and her seed.''^ The seed of the serpent is Anti- 
christ and his followers; the seed of Mary, the woman, 
is Jesus Christ and his faithful disciples. 

The beast has seven heads and ten horns like those 
of the dragon. As the representative of Satan Anti- 
christ will be aided and abetted by the same kings and 
rulers symbolized in both instances by the horns and dia- 
dems. Antichrist will follow in^ the footsteps of his 
master by employing every form of sin and error to 
seduce the faithful.^ Hence each head is branded with 
a name descriptive of the sin or error it represents. All 
heresies blaspheme by denying some dogma of Faith; 
thus, for example, atheism denies the existence of God; 
Arianism rejects the divinity of Christ; Mohammedanism 
denies both the divinity of Christ and the Trinity of God, 

while Judaism refuses to recognize our Lord as Messias. 

I ■ 

(4) St. John V, 43; see also I John ii, IS. 

(5) Grenesis iii, 15. 

(6) See above, page 122. 



132 



REIIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



2. The beast resembles a leopard in cruelty. The 
feet of a bear are symbols of stealth, while the mouth 
of a lion is an emblem of that strength and power which 
Satan confers upon his representative. Through the 
power of Satan, Antichrist Avill perform great wonders 
to deceive the people and lead them to accept him as the 
true Messias. St. Paul says that the coming of Anti- 
christ will be ''according to the working of Satan, in all 
power, and signs, and lying wonders."^ Our Lord also 
warns the faithful of false miracles in those days : ' ' For 
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and 
shall show signs and wonders insomuch as to deceive (if 
possible) even the elect. Behold I have told it to you 
beforehand.''^ 

3, 4. The head wounded unto death but healed in 
H marvelous manner signifies that one of the powers sup- 
porting the cause of Antichrist shall be overcome by the 
sword in its conflict with the Church, But to the sur- 
prise of all, this power will quickly rally its forces and 
thereby lead many to believe in Antichi'ist.^ As noted 
above, the heads represent spiritual rather than temporal 
powers. Since the heads of the dragon wear the dia- 
dems of royalty they may symbolize powers that com- 
bine both the spiritual and the temporal. 

Those who adore Antichrist on account of his ''lying 
wonders" thereby adore Satan who gives the power to 
perform them. Power and material prosperity are the 



(7) II Thessalonians ii, 9. 

(8) St. Matthew xxiv, 24, 25. 

(9) See below, on xvii, 10, 11. 



REIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



133 



rewards for those who serve him as the devil signified to 
Christ on the mountain: '^All these (kingdoms) will I 
give to thee, if falling down thoii wilt adore me.'''" 
Antichrist accepts this infamous bargain and received the 
empire of the world, — ^^Who shall be able to fight against 
himr' 

5-8. The power of Antichrist will be of short dura- 
tion (three and one-half years), but during this time he 
w^ill pour out blasphemies against God and against the 
Blessed Sacrament of the altar (the tabernacle of God). 
He will also maUgn and vilify those who remain faithful 
to God and to His Church. He will be given power to 
wage war against the Church and to overcome it for a 
time. He shall rule over many nations and many peo- 
ples will adore him: his kingdom shall have the sem- 
blance of catholicity or universality. This is the great 
revolt of the nations foretold by St. Paul," but it shall 
not be truly universal; one nation, at least, shall remain 
faithful to the Church in those days,"" and the elect 
whose names are written in the book of life will not 
adore Antichrist. 

9, 10. These two verses contain consoling promises 
to the faithful, but dire warnings for the wicked; hence 
the solemn admonition: ^'If any one have an ear, let 
him hear.'' Antichrist and his followers, at first victo- 
rious, shall soon be overcome and destroyed. As they 



(10) St. Matthew iv, 9. 

(11) II Thessalonians ii, 3. 
(12) See above, page 127. 



134 



RJEIION OF ANTICHRIST 



have meted out to others, it shall be measured unto 
them." They who have led the faithful into captivity 
and put them to death, shall themselves be made captives 
and put to the sword. Hence the faithful must suffer in 
patience with full confidence of victory. 

CHAPTER. XIII 

11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the 
earth, and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spoke 
as a dragon. 

12. And he executed all the power of the former 
beast in his sight; and he caused the earth, and them 
that dwell therein, to adore the first beast, whose wound 
to death was healed. 

13. And he did great signs, so that he made also 
fire to come down from heaven unto the earth in the 
sight of men. 

14. And he seduced them that dwell on the earth, 
for the signs, which were given him to do in the sight 
of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, 
that they should make the image of the beast, which 
had the wound by the sword, and lived. 

15. And it was given him to give life to the image 
of the beast, and that the image of the beast should 
speak; and should cause, that whosoever will not adore 
the image of the beast, should be slain. 

16. And he shall make all, both little and great, 
rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have a char- 
acter in their right hand, or on their foreheads. 



(13) St. Matthew vii, 2. 



RBIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



135 



17. And that no man might buy or sell, but he that 
hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the 
number of his name. 

18. Here is wi&dom. He that hath an understand- 
ing let him count the number of the beast. For it is 
the number of a man: and the number of him is six 
hundred sixty- six. 



11. The beast arising from the earth is a false 
prophet — the prophet of Antichrist.'' Our divine Saviour 
has a representative on earth in the person of the Pope 
upon whom He has conferred full powers to teach and 
govern. Likewise Antichrist will have his representa- 
tive in the false prophet who will be endowed with the 
plenitude of satanic powers to deceive the nations. 

If Antichrist be of Jewish extraction, as he probably 
will, the sea from which he arises signifies Judaism. 
Then the earth whence comes the second beast is a symbol 
of the Gentile nations in revolt against the Church. The 
two horns denote a twofold authority — spiritual and tem- 
poral. As indicated by the resemblance to a lamb, the 
prophet will probably set himself up in Rome as a sort 
of antipope during the vacancy of the papal throne 
mentioned above." But the elect will not allow them- 
selves to be deceived; they will recall the words of our 
Lord: ''Then if any man shall say to you: Lo here is 
Christ, or there, do not believe him."^ 



(1) See below, xvi, 13; xix, 20. 

(2) See above, page 126. 

(3) St. Matthew xxiv, 23. 



136 



REIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



12. Antichrist will establish himself in Jerusalem^ 
where a great number of Jews will have gathered through 
some such movement as Zionism. The vast majority of 
Jews have ever clung to the belief that God will one day 
restore the kingdom of Israel through a Messias — an 
Anointed one" — of the house of David.^ When Anti- 
christ manifests h?mself to those in Jerusalem with his 
"lying wonders'' they will immediately proclaim him 
their king and Messias. Then through the power of false 
miracles the prophet will soon lead the Gentile nations 
to adore him as the true Messias promised of old by the 
prophets. St. Paul clearly states that Antichrist will 
give himself out as God: '^He opposeth^ and is lifted 
up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so 
that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as 
if he were God. 

Many theologians believe that Antichrist will rebuild 
the temple of Jerusalem in which he will establish his 
throne and be worshipped as God. The words of St. 
Paul, cited above, certainly seem to favor this belief, and 
there can be no doubt that such an achievement would 
secure immediate recognition for Antichrist and his 
projects. On the other hand the prophecy of Daniel 
seems to preclude such a possibility: ^'And there shall 
be in the temple the abomination of desolation: and the 
desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and 
to the encl."^ It matters not how scholars interpret this 

(4) Cf. xi, 8; xiv, 20; xvi, 19. 

(5) Encyclopedia Americana, Art, "Jews and Judaism — Zionism." 

(6) 11 Thessalonians ii, 4. 

(7) Daniel ix, 27; St. Matthew xxiv, 15. 



KEIGN OF ANTICHRIST 



137 



abomination, the words of Christ clearly prove that it 
was to lead directly to the destruction of the temple by 
the Eoman army in 70 A. D. The destruction then 
wrought shall be final, — it shall ''continue even to the 
consummation, and to the end/' 

Julian the Apostate attempted to rebuild the temple 
in the fourth century but the undertaking was frustrated 
in a miraculous manner. ''The place was made inac- 
cessible by fearful balls of fire that broke out near the 
foundations and so scorched and burned the workmen 
that they were forced to retire. The frequent attacks 
finally caused the work to be abandoned."^ 

The "temple of God" in the above passage from St. 
Paul probably means all places of Catholic worship in 
general, and in particular the churches of Eome and 
Jerusalem. The ''abomination of desolation'' has been 
wrought in many Catholic churches by heretics and 
apostates who have broken altars, scattered the relics of 
martyrs and desecrated the Blessed Sacrament. At the 
time of the French Revolution a lev/d woman was seated 
upon the altar of the cathedral in Paris and worshipped 
as the goddess of reason. Such things but faintly fore- 
shadow the abominations that will desecrate churches in 
those sorrowful days when Antichrist will seat himself 
at the altar to be adored as God. 

13-15. The prophet, of course, shall have power to 
perform the wonderful works of his master. Among 



(8) Ammianus Marcellinus xxiii, 1; Catholic Library, Archeolog-y 
Series, vol. iv, 153. 



138 



REIGN OP ANTICHRIST 



other prodigies lie will bring down fire from heaven, 
probably to offset the preaching and miracles of Blias, 
and thus seduce great numbers. He will also have 
statues of Antichrist erected to be adored by those whom 
he has seduced. These statues will give out oracles as 
did those of ancient paganism. In fact the reign of 
Antichrist and his prophet will be a veritable renewal of 
paganism throughout the world. 

16. The followers of Antichrist will be marked with 
a character in imitation of the sign that St. John saw 
upon the foreheads of the servants of God.'" This indi- 
cates that Antichrist and his prophet will introduce cere- 
monies to imitate the Sacraments of the Church. In fact 
there will be a complete organization — a church of Satan 
set up in opposition to the Church of Christ. Satan will 
assume the part of God the Father; Antichrist will be 
honored as Saviour, and his prophet will usurp the role 
of Pope. Their ceremonies will counterfeit the Sacra- 
ments and their works of magic be heralded as miracles. 
A similar project was attempted in the fourth century 
when Julian the Apostate counterfeited Catholic worship 
with pagan ceremonies in honor of Mithras and Cybele. 
He established a priesthood and instituted ceremonies in 
imitation of Baptism and Confirmation."*" 

17. During the persecution under Diocletian statues 
of the gods were set up in stores and market places where 
customers were obliged to honor them and offer incense. 

(9) See above, pagie 80. 

(10) Catholic Library, Archeology Series, vol. iv, page 148. 



REIGN OP ANTICHRIST 



139 



None could buy cr sell without the contamination of 
pagan worship.'" In the days of Antichrist the false 
prophet will adopt similar tactics to accomplish the down- 
fall of the faithful. No one will be able to buy or sell 
the necessities of life without implicating himself in the 
worship of Antichrist. 

18. For the name of Antichrist, St. John gives a 
cryptogram that will enable the faithful to recognize 
him as soon as he makes his appearance in the world. 
This cryptogram consists of the numerical value of the 
letters in his name. St. John says that it is the number 
of a man. This may mean that the cryptogram is to be 
solved by methods in common use among men. It may 
also mean that the name is that of a definite individual, 
thus showing that Antichrist is not to be identified with 
the Eoman Empire nor with the wicked in general as 
some maintain." 

In computing the number of Antichrist authors are 
divided in their opinions as to whether the Latin, Greek, 
or Hebrew letters should be used. The prevailing opin- 
ion today regards the use of Hebrew as the most prob- 
able. In the new Jewish kingdom of Jerusalem the use 
of Hebrew will certainly be encouraged if not made 
obligatory. Even today Hebrew is one of the recognized 
languages of Palestine, and is widely used by the Jews 
living there. 



(11) Catholic Library, Archeology Series, vol. iv. pagie 123. 

(12) International Critical Commentary — Revelation of St. John, 
vol. i, page 364. 



140 



■reign of antichrist 



At present, the majority of scholars, both Catholic 
and Protestant, interpret the number 666 as a crypto- 
gram for Nero Caesar as written in Hebrew characters. 
But according to our interpretation this is an impossible 
solution because the days of Antichrist are still in the 
future. Furthermore, the career of Nero does not cor- 
respond to that of Antichrist except in so far as he per- 
secuted the Church. His coming was not ^'in all power, 
and signs and lying wonders" as St Paul predicts con- 
cerning Antichrist.'^ 

Father Sloet of Holland proposed a solution based 
upon the title of Antichrist as king of Israel.'^ The Jews 
have ever looked forward to the Messias as a great leader 
to restore the kingdom of Israel. They rejected our 
Lord because He did not fulfill this expectation. We 
may be sure that the pretensions of Antichrist will not 
be wanting in this regard. He will be king of a restored 
Israel, — not only king, but the king par excellence. In 
Hebrew this idea could be expressed by the words 
^H^ii^'^b Tl^On (hammelek TYisrael), which have the 
requisite numerical value of 666; but in order to obtain 
this number kaph medial (D ) must be used in melek 
(king) instead of kaph final (^). 



(13) II Thessalonians ii, 9. 

(14) Fr. Sloet in letter to Pere Gallois dated May 18, 1893. 



Part II. 2^ 
PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



CHAPTER XIV 

1. And I beheld, and lo a lamb stood upon Mount 
Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand, 
having his name, and the name of his Father, written 
on their foreheads. 

2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the noise 
of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder: and 
the voice which I heard, was as the voice of harpers, 
harping on their harps. 

3. And they sang as it were a new canticle, before 
the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the 
ancients: and no man could say the canticle, but those 
hundred forty-four thousand, who were purchased from 
the earth. 

4. These are they who were not defiled with 
women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from 
among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 

5. And in their mouth was found no lie; for they 
are without spot before the throne of God. 

Victory for the Church has already been foretold in 
connection with the account of the two witnesses;' but 



(1) Cf. ch. xi. 



142 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



to encourage the faithful St. John once more insists upon 
the coming triumph in which Antichrist and his prophet 
shall be completely overcome and their cities destroyed. 

1, 4, 5. In this vision, St. John sees a lamb stand- 
ing on Mount Sion, the mystic Jerusalem, surrounded by 
a great throng of faithful virgins who sing His praises 
in a new canticle. The Lamb is Christ who ever dwells 
in his Church (Sion) to guard and guide it, and to re- 
ceive the worship of faithful souls. The hundred forty- 
four thousand have been purchased from earth and be- 
come first fruits to God by vows of religious profession. 

During the so-called Reformation many religious left 
the Church and violated their vows of chastity. No doubt 
still greater numbers will follow their example in the 
days of Antichrist, but many will remain faithful to the 
Church and to their vows; no lie will be found in their 
mouth. They will persevere in the service of God, fol- 
lowing the Lamb withersoever He goeth. Since first 
fruits were offered to God in sacrifice the Greek word 
airapxr} (first frfiits), is oftcu used in the Septuagint for 
'^sacrifice" or ''offering." Its use here may intimate 
that many faithful religious will become victims to God 
through martyrdom. 

It should be noted that the hundred forty-four thou- 
sand mentioned here cannot be identified with those in 
chapter vii. The mystic number there represents all 
those from the various tribes of Israel who accept the 
Gospel before the time of Antichrist. They are certainly 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



143 



not all virgins. Moreover if St. John had wished to 
identify them he would have used the definite article 
here; the hundred forty-four thousand. 

2. The music of this great throng of singers with 
their harps breaks upon the ears of the Apostles like the 
roll of thunder or the beating of waves on the shores of 
Patmos. It is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving 
offered to God in the name of the whole Church for vic- 
tory over Antichrist and his kingdom. This prayer, 
made official by the approval of the Church, is offered 
in the presence of the ancients and the living creatures, — 
the priesthood of the Church.^ In the voice of thunder 
and the roar of the waves we may see the anathemas of 
the Church against Antichrist and his prophet as in x, 3. 

CHAPTER XIV 

6. And I saw another angel flying through, the 
midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel, to preach 
unto them that sit upon the earth, and over (^) every 
nation, and tribe, and tongue and people: 

7. Saying with a loud voice: Fear the Lord, and 
give him honor, because the hour of his judgment is 
come; and adore ye him, that made heaven and earth, 
the sea, and the fountains of waters. 

8. And another angel followed, saying: That 
great Babylon is fallen, is fallen; which made all nations 
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 



(2) See above, ch. iv, 4. 

(1) This should be "to" or "unto" as in the previous phrase. 



144 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



9. And the third angel followed them, saying with 
a loud voice: If any man shall adore the beast and his 
image, and receive his character in his forehead, or in 
his hand: 

10. He also shall drink of the wine of the wrath 
of God, which is mingled with pure wine in the cup of 
his wrath, and shall be tormented with fire and brim- 
stone in the sight of the holy angels, and in the sight 
of the Lamb. 

11. And the smoke of their torments shall ascend 
up for ever and ever: neither have they rest day nor 
night, who have adored the beast and his image, and 
whosoever receiveth the character of his name. 

12. Here is the patience of the saints, who keep 
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 

13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: 
write: Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. 
From henceforth now, saith the spirit, that they may 
rest from their labours; for their works follow them. 

6. An angel, — great saints or apostles raised up to 
the Church in those days, — brings the Gospel to every 
nation. Despite the powers of hell it shall overcome all 
enemies and endure forever: it is an eternal Gospel. 
This is a promise of complete and final victory, — a 
promise made to all nations, tribes, and tongues. It 
shall be realized in the universal reign of Christ.^ 

7. The angel exhorts all to turn to the God of 
heaven and earth because the day of judgment is at 



(2) See below, ch. xx, 1-4. 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



145 



hand. This is not a reference to the general judgment 
at the last day, but to the judgments about to fall upon 
Antichrist and his followers as predicted in the following 
verses. 

8. A second angel, or apostle, announces the ap- 
proaching fall of Babylon to be described in chapter xviii. 
Babylon is Rome, the seat of the false prophet and the 
capital of a neo-pagan empire. For political reasons St. 
John could not safely refer to Rome by name in this con- 
nection, so he uses the symbolic name as St. Peter had 
done before him.^ 

Under the leadership of the false prophet Rome will 
seduce other Gentile nations to worship Antichrist. For 
this infidelity she shall be destroyed. In Scripture infi- 
delity to God is often depicted as fornication or adultery/ 

9-11. A third angel threatens all followers of Anti- 
christ with eternal damnation. They shall be punished 
with all the rigors of God's infinite justice untempered 
by mercy. The wine of wrath shall be poured into the 
cup unmixed with the water of mercy. This is a refer- 
ence to the ancient custom of mixing water with wine 
for drinking.'' 

These verses clearly prove that the pains of hell are 
etenral, and without respite. ^^The smoke of their tor- 
ments shall ascend up forever and ever: neither have 
they rest day nor night." 



(3) I Peter v, IS. 

(4) See above, page 45; cf. Cath. Library, Arch. Series vol 3, p. 2. 

(5) Cf. Isaias li, 1, 22; Jeremias xxv, 15. 



146 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



12, 13. The faithful must suffer in patience, ever 
bearing in mind the reward that awaits them in heaven. 
Happy are they who die in the Lord, especially those 
faithful heroes who suffer even unto death for their 
Faith. Their works shall follow them, for their glory m 
heaven will be commensurate with their sufferings on 
earth. 

CHAPTER XIV 

14. And I saw, and behold a white cloud; and upon 
the cloud one sitting like to the Son of man, having on 
his head a crown of gold, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 

15. And another angel came out from the temple 
crying with a loud voice to him that sat upon the cloud: 
Thrust in thy sickle, and reap, because the hour is come 
to reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 

16. And he that sat on the cloud thrust his sickle 
into the earth, and the earth was reaped. 

17. And another angel came out of the temple 
which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 

18. And another angel came out ftom the altar, 
who had power over fire ; and he cried with a loud voice 
to him that had the sharp sickle, saying: Thrust in 
thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine- 
yard of the earth; because the grapes thereof are ripe. 

19. And the angel thrust in his sharp sickle into 
the earth, and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and 
cast it into the great press of the wrath of God: 

20. And the press was trodden without the city, 
and blood came out of the press, up to the horses 
bridles, for a thousand and six hundred furlongs. 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



147 



14-16. The followers of Antichrist have been warned 
of defeat and eternal punishment; the faithful have been 
encouraged by promise of victory here and eternal happi- 
ness hereafter. The time of judgment is at hand; the 
final conflict now begins. The separation of the good 
from the bad will be still further accomplished. As on 
the last day, Christ sends forth His angels to gather the 
wheat into the barns while the cockle is being bound into 
bundles for the fire.' The gathering in of the good 
through martyrdom is represented as a harvest. The 
destruction of the wicked is depicted as the vintage of 
God's wrath. The realization of this judgment will be 
found in the complete destruction of the kingdom of 
Antichrist as described in subsequent chapters fxv-xix). 

The reaper sitting upon a bright cloud, is an angel 
who comes in the name of Christ to execute His orders. 
Hence he bears the resemblance of Christ and is sur- 
rounded by a cloud of glory. He also wears a crown of 
gold, the emblem of royalty, because as representative 
of Christ he exercises dominion over all peoples. 

The cloud of glory and the crown of royalty might 
lead one to accept the reaper as Christ Himself. Yet 
the context makes it plain that the reaper cannot be iden- 
tified with Christ since he is commanded by an angel to 
thrust in his sickle. Furthermore, Christ has told us in 
the Gospel that angels shall be commissioned to separate 
the wheat from the cockle.^ 



(1) St. Matthew xiii, 30. 

(2) St. Matthew xiii, 38. 



148 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



17, 18. The voice from beneath the altar, command- 
ing the vintage to be gathered is the voice of a martyr 
whose blood cries to heaven for vengeance/ This martyr 
who has power over fire" is probably Elias who will 
destroy Antichrist by sending down fire from heaven.* 
The prophet Joel also describes the judgments of God 
against unholy nations as a vintage and a treading of 
the wine-press.' 

19-20. The wme-press of divine wrath shall be trod- 
den outside the city of Jerusalem.^ Final victory over 
Antichrist will be won through great slaughter and 
bloodshed in a battle near the Holy City, perhaps in the 
valley of Josaphat. The prophecy of Joel may refer to 
this event instead of the last judgment : ' ' Let the nations 
come up into the valley of Josaphat: for there I will sit 
to judge all nations round about, o . . Nations, na- 
tions in the valley of destruction : for the day of the Lord 
is near in the valley of destruction/ 



(3) See above, vi, 9. 

(4) See above, page 116. 

(5) Joel, iii, 13. 

(6) See V. 1 and xvi, 16. 

(7) Joel iii, 12, 14. 



PROPHETS OF VICTORY 



149 



CHAPTER XV 

1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and 
wonderful: seven angels having the seven last plagues. 
For in them is filled up the wrath of God. 

2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with 
fire, and them that had overcome the beast, and his 
image, and the number of his name, standing on the 
sea of glass, having the harps of God: 

3. And singing the canticle of Moses, the servant 
of God, and the canticle of the Lamb, saying: Great and 
wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just 
and true are thy ways, O King of ages. 

4. And who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and mag- 
nify thy name? For thou only art holy: for all nations 
shall come, and shall adore in thy sight, because thy 
judgments are manifest. 

1. During the great conflict with Antichrist, the 
Church shall have power to send plagues upon his empire 
such as those which Moses brought down upon the Egyp- 
tians/ The seven angels represent the bishops and 
priests of the Church; and especially great saints raised 
up to battle against the powers of darkness. The nature 
of these plagues indicates that they will accompany the 
preaching of Elias and his companion.' 

The seven angels receive the vials from one of the 
four living creatures to signify that they have a mission 
to preach the Gospel and condemn the wicked. The 



(1) Exodus viii-xii. 

(2) See above, xi, 5, 6. 



150 



PROFITS OF VICTORY 



plagues which they inflict are called the last because 
they shall fill up the measure of God's justice against His 
enemies and the enemies of His Church. 

2-4. The sea of crystal which St. John saw in a 
former vision,^ is now mingled with fire. The light 
which pervades it enlightens the faithful, while the fire 
consumes the wicked. The vision now looks to the future 
when Antichrist will have been completely overcome. 
The victors standing upon the sea of glass chant hymns 
of praise and thanksgiving to God. Moses' song of vic- 
tory over the Egyptians* is well suited to the occasion, 
especially if he be the companion of Elias in those days. 

The canticle of the Lamb is another hymn of praise 
to God for the triumph of Christ and His Church over 
all enemies.'^ The manifest judgments of God against all 
enemies of the Church lead to the conversion of all 
nations and the universal reign of Christ upon earth. 



(3) Cf. iv, 6. 

(4) Exodus XV, 1-19. 

(5) Cf. Jeremias x, 6, 7 



PART II. 2^ 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



CHAPTER XV 

5. And after these things I looked; and behold 
the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven 
was opened: 

6. And the seven angels came out of the temple, 
having the seven plagues, clothed with clean and white 
linen, and girt about the breasts with golden girdles. 

7. And one of the four living creatures gave to the 
seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of 
God, who liveth for ever and ever. 

8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the 
majesty of God, and from his power; and no man was 
able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of 
the seven angels were fulfilled. 

5. This vision reveals to St. John the nature of the 
plagues to be inflicted upon the empire of Antichrist. The 
Church, typified by the tabernacle of the Old Law, is 
opened to give testimony to God/ The Church teaching 
gives testimony through the preaching of the Gospel and 
the power of miracles. The Church militant gives testi- 
mony by the blood of martyrs shed in her defense. 
Through the ministry of the seven angels Christ will 
condemn and punish those who refuse this twofold testi- 
mony. 



(1) Exodus xl, 32. 



162 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



6, 7. The seven angels are the ministers of the 
Church, and perhaps also the angelic hosts of heaven 
who labor in unison as the ministers of God to accom- 
plish His decrees. They are clothed in the priestly gar- 
ments of white linen, and girt about with golden (tinc- 
tures, symbols of preparedness and charity/ 

8. A cloud by day and fire by night hung over the 
tabernacle in the wilderness to assure the Israelites of 
God's protecting presence.^ Likewise in the vision of 
Isaias a cloud of smoke symbolized God's special pres- 
ence in the temple of Jerusalem/ Here the smoke filling 
the temple must signify that God will manifest His power 
in a special manner to protect the Church against the 
onslaughts of her enemies. 

No one can enter the temple; in other words, no 
nation will be converted until the seven plagues have 
accomplished the overthrow of Antichrist and the de- 
struction of his empire. 

CHAPTER XVI 

1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple, 
saying to the seven angels: Go, and pour out the seven 
vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 

2. And the first went and poured out his vial upon 
the earth, and there fell a sore and grievous wound upon 
men, who had the character of the beast; and upon them 
that adored the image thereof. 

(2) Siee above^ i, 13. 

(3) Exodus xl, 34, 35. 

(4) Isaias vl, 4. 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



153 



3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon 
the sea, and there came blood as it were of a dead man; 
and every living soul died in the sea. 

4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the 
rivers and the fountains of waters; and there was made 
blood. 

5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: 
Thou art just, O Lord, who art, and who wast, the Holy 
One, because thou hast judged these things. 

6. For they have shed the blood of saints and 
prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; 
for they are worthy. 

7. And I heard another, from the altar, saying: 
Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are thy judg- 
ments. 

1. The great voice proceeding from the temple filled 
with the divine presence would seem to be the voice of 
God Himself, bi7t the wording of the command rather 
opposes this interpretation: ''Pour out the vials of the 
wrath of God." It is probably the voice of the living 
creature who gave the vials to the angels, thus showing 
that they are commissioned by the authority of the 
Church. 

2. The first vial is poured out upon earth to inflict 
malignant sores upon those who follow Antichrist. This 
resembles the sixth plague sent upon Egypt :n which 
''there came boils with swelling blains in men and 
beasts.''" God also threatened the unfaithful Jews in 



(1) Exodus ix, 10. 



154 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



the wilderness with like punishment: "'May the Lord 
strike thee with a very sore ulcer in the knees and in 
the legs, and be thou incurable from the sole of the foot 
to the top of the head/ Herod Arippa was similarly 
stricken when he allowed himself to be hailed as God/ 

In a moral sense this plague refers to the shame and 
confusion of those who harden their hearts and close their 
ears to the voice of the Church. In this sense it refers 
especially to the Jews who rejected the true Messias and 
become leaders against His Church in the days of Anti- 
christ. 

3. The second plague changes the waters of the sea 
into blood and destroys all living things therein. This 
may be taken literally as in the first Egyptian plague 
when Moses turned the waters of all Egypt into blood. 
In a figurative sense the sea represents the nations in 
revolt against the Church. They shall be chastized by 
war and revolution almost to extermination. But if the 
destruction of ''every living soul" be taken literally the 
sea must refer to particular nations or peoples. 

4. The streams and their sources shall likewise be 
changed into blood. In a symbolic meaning this signi- 
fies that the teachers of error and blasphemy shall be 
slain. 

5. 6. The Church teaches that nations as well as 

individuals have angels to guide and protect them. The 

, — ) 

((2) Deuteronomy xxviii, 35. 

(3) Acts of the Apostles xii, 23. 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



155 



Bible speaks of the guardian angels of the Persians and 
Macedonians." The angel of the waters mentioned here 
must be the guardian of those nations hostile to the 
Church. He is forced to acknowledge the justice of 
God's judgment against them. It is just retribution for 
the blood of martyrs which they have shed. What they 
meted out to others is now measured unto themselves.^ 

7. A voice from the altar proclaims the justice of 
God's dealings with those wicked nations: ^^Just and 
true are Thy judgments, Lord God Almighty.'' This 
is probably the v^oice of the martyrs approving the mani- 
festations of justice for which they had prayed.^ 

CHAPTER XVI 

8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon 
the sun, and it was given unto him to afflict men with 
heat and fire: 

9. And men were scorched with great heat, and 
they blasphemed the name of God, who hath power 
over these plagues, neither did they penance to give 
him glory. 

10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon 
the seat of the beast; and his kingdom became dark, 
and they gnawed their tongues for pain. 

11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven, be- 
cause of their pains and wounds, and did not penance 
for their works. 



(4) Daniel x, 13; Acts of the Apostles xvi, 9. 

(5) St. Matthew vii, 2. 

(6) See ch. vi, 10. 



156 



THE SEVEiN PLAGUES 



12. And the sixth angrel poured out his vial upon 
that great River Euphrates; and dried up the water 
thereof, that a way might be prepared for the kings 
from the rising of the sun. 

13. And I saw from the mouth of the dragon, and 
from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the 
false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 

14. For they are the spirits of devils working signs, 
and they go forth unto the kings of the whole earth, 
to gather them to battle against the great day of the 
Almighty God. 

15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that 
watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, 
and they see his shame. 

16. And he shall gather them together into a place, 
which in Hebrew is called Armagedon. 

8, 9. The fouith vial is emptied on the sun which 
thereupon sends forth its scorching rays to torture the 
wicked; but Pharao-like instead of being converted they 
harden their hearts and blaspheme God. 

In a figurative sense the burning rays of the sun are 
the rigors of God's justice. Christ, the sun of justice, 
is a guiding light to the faithful, but a consuming fire 
to the wicked. 

10, 11. The fifth plague is directed against Jeru- 
salem, the residence of Antichrist and the capital of his 
kingdom. This kingdom of darkness shall be made still 
darker by the conrusion and ruin. The enemies of the 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



157 



Church shall bite their tongues in anger and despair, yet 
they will not repent of their sins. 

12. As in ix, 14, the Euphrates symbolizes nations 
in revolt against the Church. Here they are the Gentile 
nations subject to Antichrist. The vision probably 
means that these nations shall be so reduced in strength 
by the sixth pl.igue that kings from the East will not 
hesitate to march against them. These eastern kings 
probably represent nations that remain faithful to the 
Church and now come to her defense' 

13, 14. Antichrist and his prophet prepare to resist 
this attack by sending out messengers with the power 
of false miracles. By means of these prodigies kings and 
people are rallied to the cause of Antichrist and march 
to his defense against the invading armies. 

15. This verse is a warning to the faithful to be 
prepared for the great conflict. They must guard well 
their garments of good works lest they be found without 
God's grace in that evil day. Our Lord gave a similar 
warning when He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem: 

Watch ye therefore, because you know not what hour 
your Lord will come."^ 

16. The armies from the East will meet the forces 
of Antichrist n^ar Jerusalem.^ The scene of carnage 
that follows makes the field of battle another Mageddo, 



(1) See above, page 128. 

(2) St. Matthew xxiv, 42. 

(3) Cf. ch. xiv, 19, 20. 



158 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



where the invading armies are completely victorious. A 
further description of the battle is found in ch. xix. It 
seems that it will occur after the fall of Rome. 

Armagedon is the Greek for Har-Mageddo (Mount 
Mageddo), a place often drenched with Israel's blood.* 
The defeat of Antichrist may be accomplished on this 
very battle ground. 

CHAPTER XVI 

17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial upon 
the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple 
from the throne, saying: It is done. 

18. And there were lightnings, and voices, and 
thunders, and there was a great earthquake, such an one 
as never had been since men were upon the earth, such 
an earthquake, so great. 

19. And the great city was divided into three parts; 
and the cities of the Gentiles fell. And great Babylon 
came in remembrance before God, to give her the cup 
of the wine of the indignation of his wrath. 

2'0. And every island flew away, and the mountains 
were not found. 

21. And great hail, like a talent, came down from 
heaven upon men: and men blasphemed God for the 
plague of the hail: because it was exceeding great. 

17. As the seventh angel pours out his vial upon 
the air, a great voice from the temple cries out ^Mt is 

(4) Cf. Judges V, 19; IV Kings ix, 27; xxiii, 29; Zacharias xxi, 11. 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



159 



done." This voice, mentioned in v. 1/ now proclaims 
the defeat of Antichrist and the destruction of his 
empire. 

18. The lightnings flashing and the thunders rolling 
in heaven are symbols of divine judgments. The great 
earthquake is the social upheaval following the fall of 
Antichrist. 

Perhaps the thunder and lightning, and the hail 
mentioned below should be taken literally like the dis- 
turbance of the elements described in Exodus: ''The 
Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning running along 
the ground: and the Lord rained hail upon the land of 
Egypt. And the hail and fire mixed drove on together: 
and it was of so great bigness, as never before was seen 
in the whole land of Egypt."' 

19. The great city (Jerusalem) is divided into 
three sections by yawning chasms caused by the earth- 
quake. A similar punishment befell Jerusalem after the 
death of the two witnesses when one-tenth of the city 
was destroyed and seven thousand persons perished. 
The rending of the rocks by an earthquake at the time 
of our Lord's death upon the cross warrants the belief 
that these later disturbances will be actual upheavals 
of the earth. 

In a figurative sense the division of the city may 

(1) Of. also ch. xxi, 3. 

(2) Exodus ix, 23, 24; cf. Josue x, 11. 



160 



THE SEVEN PLAGUES 



refer to rival factions warring amongst themselves. 
During the siege of Jerusalem by the Eoman army in 70 
A. D. the greatest sufferings were caused by warring 
factions within the walls of the city.^ 

Eome, the great Babylon, is also destroyed and the 
cities of the Gentiles are laid waste. These cities are 
probably the capitals of those nations that submit to the 
domination of the neo-pagan empire of Rome and thus 
become parts of the empire of Antichrist. 

20, 21. The severity of divine judgments against all 
unfaithful nations is graphically portrayed by the sym- 
bolic expressions of these verses. The destruction of the 
ancient Roman empire is described in almost identical 
language.^ 



(3) Josephus, "Wars of the Jews," Book V. 

(4) Ch. vi, 14, 15; cf. also Isaias xiii; Ezeehiel x, xxii; Joel ii. 



Part II. 2^ 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



CHAPTER XVII 

1. And there came one of the seven angels, who 
had the seven vials, and spoke with me, saying: Come, 
I will show thee the condemnation of the great harlot, 
who sitteth upon many waters, 

2. With whom the kings of the earth have com- 
mitted fornication; and they who inhabit the earth, 
have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom. 

3. And he took me away in spirit into the desert. 
And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet coloured 
beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads 
and ten horns. 

4. And the woman was clothed round about with 
purple and scarlet, and gilt with gold, and precious 
stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, 
full of the abomination and filthiness of her fornication. 

5. And on her forehead a name was written: a 
mystery; Babylon the great, the mother of the forni- 
cations, and the abominations of the earth. 

6. And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of 
the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 
And I wondered, when I had seen her, with great admi- 
ration. 



162 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



7. And the angel said to me: Why dost thou 
wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, 
and of the beast which carrieth her, which hath the 
seven heads and ten horns. 

8. The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, 
and shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go 
into destruction: and the inhabitants on the earth 
(whose names are not written in the book of life from 
the foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the 
beast that was, and is not. 

9. And here is the understanding that hath wis- 
dom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon 
which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings: 

10. Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet 
come: and when he is come, he must remain a short 
time. 

11. And the beast which was, and is not: the same 
also is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into 
destruction. 

12. And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten 
kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but shall 
receive power as kings one hour after the beast. 

13. These have one design: and their strength and 
power they shall deliver to the beast. 

14. These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb 
shall overcome them, because he is Lord of lords, and 
King of kings, and they that are with him are called, 
and elect, and faithful. 

15. And he said to me: The waters which thou 
sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and na- 
tions, and tongues. 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



163 



16. And the ten horns which thou sawest in the 
beast: these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her 
desolate, and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall 
burn her with fire. 

17. For God hath given into their hearts to do that 
which pleaseth him, that they give their kingdom to the 
beast till the words of God be fulfilled. 

18. And the woman which thou sawest, is the 
great city, which hath kingdom over the kings of the 
earth. 

1, 2. The fall and devastation of Rome were men- 
tioned in the preceding chapter/ but its importance as 
the seat of the false prophet and the capital of a world- 
wide empire under Antichrist demands a more detailed 
account. Hence St. John now describes at length the 
new pagan empire of Rome (ch. xvii), and foretells its 
complete and final destruction (ch. xviii). 

The great harlot sitting by many waters is Rome 
holding sway over many nations' that share in her cor- 
ruption and infidelity to God. Ancient Tyre and Ninive 
were likewise designated as harlots by the prophets 
Isaias and Nahum.^ St. John simply follows out the 
symbolism in which infidelity to God is called fornication 
and adultery.* 

3. St. John is led into a desert which foreshadows 
the great devastation and desolation that shall be 

(1) Ch. xvi, 19; cf. also ch, xiv, 8. 

(2) See below, v. 15. 

(3) Isaias xxiii, 16, 17; Nahum iii, 4. 

(4) See above, page 45. 



164 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



wrought upon the unfaithful city. There he beholds a 
harlot seated upon a scarlet beast having seven heads and 
ten horns and covered over with names of blasphemy. 
This is evidently the beast from the sea^ — a symbol of 
Antichrist.^ Hence the vision indicates that the new 
pagan empire of Rome holds sway over the nations 
through the power and influence of Antichrist. 

Scarlet is the emblem of imperial power, — a power 
exercised over the nations by Antichrist through his 
prophet in Rome. Scarlet is also the color of blood and 
forbodes terrible persecutions in which the blood of mar- 
tyrs will flow in copious streams. The significance of 
the heads and horns and the names of blasphemy has 
been explained in connection with the beast from the 
sea.^ A further development is found in verses 9^ 17. 

4. The harlot wears a mantle of purple and gold, 
an emblem of the imperial power possessed by Rome as 
capital of a vast empire. The gems and golden cup imply 
riches and material prosperity, but the cup is filled with 
every iniquity and immorality.' Riches and luxury have 
ever been the great demoralizers of nations as well as of 
individuals. 

5. Through her power and riches Rome leads other 
nations to worship Antichrist and imitate her own im- 
moralities. Hence the harlot bears upon her forehead 



(5) See ch. xiii, 1. 

(6) See above, page 122. 

(7) Jeremias li, 7; Ezechiel xxviii, 13-19. 



THE BEAjST and THE HARLOT 



165 



the mystic title: ''Babylon the Great, Mother of the 
Fornications and the Abominations of the Earth/' It 
seems that Roman harlots often wore upon their fore- 
heads a label whereon their names were conspicuously 
displayed.^ Here the name is a mystery showing that 
Babylon is used figuratively for Rome as in the Epistle 
of St. Peter and other early literature." 

6, 7. The woman glutted with the blood of mar- 
tyrs is a warning to the faithful of great persecutions at 
Rome and throughout the empire during the reign of 
Antichrist and his prophet. 

8-11. The angel's interpretation bristles with diffi- 
culties. He says the beast was, and is not, but shall 
come forth from the abyss only to perish again after a 
short time. In verse 11 the beast is identified with one 
of the heads which shall be the eighth although it is one 
of the seven, and shall quickly go into destruction. 
Further on (v. 16), it is said that the ten horns of the 
beast (in Greek, ''the ten horns and the beast) will fight 
against the harlot and destroy her by fire. 

Those who take Nero to be the Antichrist find an 
explanation for these mysteries, which at first sight, 
seems quite plausible. They have recourse to a popular 
legend that Nero, after attempting suicide, fled to the 
East and would soon reappear with the Parthian armies 



(8) Sieneca, "Controv. i." 

(9) I Peter iv, 13; Sibylline Oracles v, 143, 159; II Banich Ixvii, 7. 



166 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



to conquer Eome and regain his throne/*" The writing 
of the Apocalypse is assigned to the reign of Vespasian 
who thus becomes the sixth head, — the one who ''now 
is/' — Titus is the seventh who is yet to come. His short 
reign fulfills the prediction: ''He must remain a short 
time." Then Nero, one of the five who have fallen, re- 
turns with the kings of Parthia (the ten horns) to regain 
his throne and establish himself as the eighth although 
he is one of the seven. 

This interpretation is ingenious but impossible be- 
cause, as already noted, Nero cannot be identified with 
Antichrist." But the insuperable difficulty lies in the 
fact that it destroys inspiration. The use of a legend 
in an inspired work might be admitted, incongruous 
though it seems, but a prophecy without fulfillment can- 
not be inspired. Yet according to the above widely re- 
ceived interpretation the prophecy remains unfulfilled 
except in so far as Domitian was known as a second 
Nero on account of his cruelty." If the ten horns be 
interpreted as the Parthian kings, or satraps, there is no 
ground in history for representing Domitian or any other 
Emperor, as their leader. Neither was Rome ever de- 
stroyed by a Parthian invasian. 

The settled conviction of many scholars that Nero 
was Antichrist makes it necessary to refer this whole 
prophecy to the time of St. John and interpret the seven 



(10) Tacitus, "Histories" ii, 8; Suetonius, "Nero" 57. 

(11) See above, page 140. 

(12) Cf. Juvenal iv, 37 sq.; Martial xi, 33; Tertullian, Apology v. 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



167 



heads as Roman Emperors. But the context shows that 
the prophecy concerns events that are still in the future, 
and most probably the seven kings will not be emperors 
of Rome. The ' one who now is" refers not to the time 
of St. John, but to the time when the prohecy shall be 
fulfilled. 

St. John says there will be many Antichrists ; in fact 
there were many even in his day : * ' Even now there are 
become many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is 
the last hour."" Again he writes: ''And every spirit 
that dissolveth Jesus is not of God: and this is Anti- 
christ of whom you have heard that he cometh and he 
is now already in the world."" According to these words 
of St. John every teacher of error and every adversary 
of the Church is an Antichrist. 

Nero has ever been considered one of the principal 
Antichrists. Sts. Peter and Paul were the two witnesses 
raised up against him. Arius,- leader of the first great 
heresy may well be called an Antichrist with St. Athana- 
sius and St. Hilary as the witnesses opposed to him. 
Mahomed, Luther, and Voltaire are often enumerated as 
Antichrists and many others could be added to the list. 

These few examples are sufficient to show that Anti- 
christ will be like the true Messias in having forerunners 
who typify him in various ways; and since they are 

(13) I John ii, 18. 

(14) I John iv, 3. 



168 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



types of Antichrist it is not surprising that the prophecies 
concerning him can often be applied to them also in one 
or more particulars. But in Antichrist alone will they be 
realized in every particular. Hence the faithful will 
recognize him and avoid his snares, but the rest of man- 
kind will be deceived by his lying wonders.'' 

The angel telJs St. John that the seven heads are 
seven mountains and seven kings. The seven mountains 
upon which the harlot sits are quite generally inter- 
preted as the seven hills of Rome. The only apparent 
reason for mentioning the seven hills would be to show 
that the name Babylon is used figuratively for Rome, 
but the usage seems to have been well known to the early 
Christians. The connection of kings and mountains 
under one symbol suggests the imagery of the ancient 
prophecies where mountains so often figure as symbols 
of kingdoms and empires.^^ Hence the seven heads, which 
are seven mountains, may be the seven principal nations 
subject to Rome in the days of Antichrist. 

One of the seven kings devotes himself and his king- 
dom so completely to the cause of Antichrist that he can 
rightly be identified with the beast as is done in verse 11. 
This is the head which St. John saw in a former vision 
where it was wounded unto death but revived and healed 
in a mysterious manner to the astonishment of all. 



(15) Cf. Isaias xli, 15; Jeremias ii, 25; Daniel II, 35, 44; Zacharias 
iv, 7. 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



169 



^^Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet 
come/' and the ''beast which was, and is not; the same 
also is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into 
destruction." Any attempt to explain this mysterious 
prophecy before its accomplishment can be nothing more 
than speculation. Nevertheless we may find a solution 
that has some degree of probability. 

Verse 10 may mean that five nations supporting the 
cause of Antichrist are overcome, one still maintains the 
conflict, and a seventh has not yet submitted to the domi- 
nation of Rome, but will soon do so only to be defeated 
after a short time. Through the influence of Antichrist 
and his lying wonders, the nation most devoted to his 
cause will rally from defeat and be organized anew as 
the eighth kingdom although it is really one of the seven. 
It shall soon go down to destruction in the final defeat 
of Antichrist and the destruction of his empire. 

Again the prophecy may be interpreted of the rulers 
instead of their kingdoms. In this sense ''five are 
fallen," etc., would probably mean that the rulers of five 
nations have fallen from power, presumably by violent 
means, but the sixth still holds his throne. In the seventh 
kingdom a ruler is yet to come who will use his power 
in support of Antichrist. 

One of the five kings, identified with the beast on 
account of his great devotion to the cause of Antichrist, 
has received a sword wound unto death" but is quickly 



(16) Cf. xiii, 3, 14. 



170 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



healed and reorganizes his kingdom, or obtains power 
over another nation. Thus he becomes the eighth, yet 
in reality he is one of the seven. The sword wound unto 
death may be understood literally thus making this ex- 
traordinary recovery one of the ''lying wonders" of Anti- 
christ, or his prophet, to deceive the nations. 

12-14. The ten horns are ten kings or princes who 
shall come to the assistance of Antichrist for a short 
time." They will place all their power and resources at 
his command to accomplish the one object in view, — the 
destruction of the Church. Despite their efforts they 
shall be overcome by the faithful of Christ who is Lord 
of lords and King of kings. 

15. As in other visions the waters, or the sea, sym- 
bolize human society. Here they represent in particular 
the peoples and nations subject to Rome and with her ini 
revolt against the Church. The seven principal ones 
were symbolized above by seven mountains. 

16, 17. After a time the beast and his allied kings! 
(the ten horns) will make war upon R^me and lay it 
waste with fire and sword. The barbarian invasions of 
Rome in the fourth and fifth centuries give some idea of 
the manner in Avhich Rome shall become the prey of a 
^'scourge of 6od"'^ in punishment for revolt against the 
Church and for its worship of Antichrist. St. John gives 



(17) The Greek text reads "one hour with the beast"; cf. also 
above, page 157. 

(18) Atilla called himself the "scourg^e of God.'* 



/ 



THE BEAST AND THE HARLOT 



171 



no reason why Antichrist and his allies turn against Rome 
except that God puts it into their hearts to accomplish His 
purposes. 

According to the Vulgate, only the ten kings will 
make war upon Rome: ^^The ten horns which thou 
sawest in the beast: these shall hate the harlot,'' etc. 
The Greek text reads : ' ' The ten horns which thou saw- 
est and the beast: these shall hate," etc. This is evi- 
dently the better reading, as it fits into the context^ 
God put it into the hearts of the ten kings to give their 
power to the beast to do His words. The ^Svords of 
God" can be nothing else than the destruction of Rome. 



Part II. 2° 



THE FALL OF BABYLON 



CHAPTER XVIII 

1. And after these things, I saw another angel 
come down from heaven, having great power; and the 
earth was enlightened with his glory. 

2. And he cried out with a strong voice, saying: 
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen; and is become the 
habitation of devils, and the hold of every unclean spirit, 
and the hold of every unclean and hateful bird: 

3. Biecause all nations have drunk of the wine of 
the wrath of her fornication; and the kings of the earth 
have committed fornication with her; and the merchants 
of the earth have been made rich by the power of her 
delicacies. 

4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: 
Go out from her, my people; that you be not partakers 
of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. 

5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and the 
Lord hath remembered her iniquities. 

6. Render to her as she also hath rendered to 
you; and double unto her double according to her 
works: in the cup wherein she hath mingled, mingle 
ye double unto her. 

7. As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived 
in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to 



THE FALL OF BABYLON 



her; because she saith in her heart: I sit a queen, and 
am no widow; and sorrow I shall not see. 

8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, 
death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be 
burned with fire; because God is strong, who shall 
judge her. 

9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed 
fornication, and lived in delicacies with her, shall weep, 
and bewail themselves over her, when they shall see 
the smoke of her burning. 

10. Standing afar off for fear of her torments, 
saying: Alas, alas! that great city Babylon, that mighty 
city: for in one hour is thy judgment come. 

11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep, and 
mourn over her: for no man shall buy their merchan- 
dise any more. 

12. Merchandise of gold and silver, and precious 
stones; and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and 
silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner 
of vessels of ivory, and all manner of vessels of precious 
stones, and of brass, and of iron, and of marble. 

13. And cinnamon, and odours, and ointment, and 
frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and 
wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, 
and slaves, and souls of men. 

14. And the fruits of the desire of thy soul are 
departed from thee, and all fat and goodly things are 
perished from thee, and they shall find them no more 
at all. 



174 



THE FALL OF BABYLON 



15. The merchants of these things, who were made 
rich, shall stand afar oft* from her, for fear of her tor- 
ments, weeping and mourning, 

16. And saying: Alas! alas! that great city, which 
was clothed with fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and 
was gilt with gold, and precious stones, and pearls. 

17. For in one hour are so great riches come to 
nought; and every shipmaster, and all that sail into the 
lake, and mariners, and as many as work in the sea, 
stood afar off, 

18. And cried, seeing the place of her burning, say- 
ing: What city is like to this great city? 

19. And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried, 
weeping and mourning, saying: Alas! alas! that great 
city, wherein all were made rich, that had ships at sea, 
by reason of her prices: for in one hour she is made 
desolate. 

20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy 
apostles and prophets; for God hath judged your judg- 
ment on her. 

21. And a mighty angel took up a stone, as it were 
a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying: With 
such violence as this shall Babylon, that great city, be 
thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 

22. And the voice of harpers, and of musicians, 
and of them that play on the pipe, and on the trumpet, 
shall no more be heard at all in thee; and no craftsman 
of any art whatsoever shall be found any more at all in 
thee; and the sound of the mill shall be heard no more 
at all in thee; 



THE FALL OF BABYLON 



175 



23. And the light of the lamp shall shine no more 
at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and the 
bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy" mer- 
chants were the great men of the earth, for all nations 
have been deceived by thy enchantments. 

24. And in her was found the blood of prophets and 
of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. 

1, 2. The mighty angel is probably a great saint 
or prophet raised up to enlighten the Church by his 
teaching and to foretell the destruction of Eome as Jonas 
foretold the fall of Ninive, and Daniel that of ancient 
Babylon. But if angel" be taken literally it is prob- 
ably St. Michael, the guardian of the Church or St. 
Gabriel, the mighty one of God. 

The angel speaks of the fall of Rome as something 
already accomplished to show that it must surely come 
to pass. It shall be left so desolate that wild beasts will 
find it a fitting abode and unclean birds will hover about 
its ruins. Thus also did Isaias prophesy concerning 
ancient Babylon: ''Wild beasts shall rest there and 
their houses shall be filled with serpents . . . and 
owls shall answer one another there, in the houses thereof, 
and sirens in the temples of pleasure.''^ 

Some interpreters take the words of the angel to 
mean that the ruins of Rome shall become the lurking 



(1) Isaias xiii, 21, 22. 



176 



THE FALL OF BABYLON 



place of evil spirits according to the words of Christ: 
''"When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh 
through dry places seeking rest.'"' 

3. The terrible destruction and desolation of Eome 
is a punishment for her many sins and for the sins into 
which she has led other nations. The kings and mer- 
chants of the earth have been led into the sins and vices 
of Eome, and with her they have upheld Antichrist in 
his efforts against the Church. 

4, 5. Another voice from heaven, — a voice of 
mercy, — warns the faithful of the impending ruin and 
exhorts them to seek safety in flight. In like manner 
did our Lord warn His disciples to flee from Jerusalem 
upon the approach of the Roman army.^ Heeding these 
words of warning the faithful fled to Pella in Peraea 
and thus escaped the terrible sufferings of the siege. 

6-8. These verses are an apostrophe to the ministers 
of God's judgments, apparently the ten kings of the 
preceding chapter. They are to punish the wicked and 
unfaithful city for all the evils she has heaped upon 
them, presumably the evils resulting from apostacy and 
adherence to Antichrist. They shall punish her also for 
her own apostacy and worship of Antichrist : * ' Double 
unto her double according to her works: in the cup 
wherein she hath mingled mingle ye double unto her." 



(2) St. Matthew xii, 43. 

(3) St. Matthew xxiv, 16-8. 



THE PALL OF BABYLON 177 

The ruin and desolation of Rome shall be commen- 
surate with her foimer glory, riches and power. The 
proud city that ''sits a queen*' with neither fear nor 
anxiety, shall be humbled m the dust. 

9, 10. The kings of earth who have shared her guilt 
shall lament the fate of the city, but they stand afar off 
fearing to come tu her assistance. Such is usually the 
friendship between nations! 

11-16. The merchants of the earth ''who were made 
rich, shall stand aiar off from her for fear of her tor- 
ments, weeping and mourning, and saying : Alas ! alas ! 
that great city, which was clothed with fine linen, and 
purple, and scarlet, and was gilt with gold and precious 
stones, and pearls. For in one hour are so great riches 
come to nought. ' 

17-19. In like manner do they who have prospered 
in the sea commerce with Eome bewail the loss of their 
markets: "Alas! alas! that great city wherein all were 
made rich that had ships at sea by reason of her prices ; 
for in one hour she is made desolate.'' 

20. The Apostles and prophets and all saints are 
called upon to rejoice at this manifestation of God's 
justice. The prayers of the martyrs* are answered and 
their blood reqaited. The mention of Apostles may refer 
especially to Sts. Peter and Paul who suffered martyr- 
dom at Rome under Nero. 



(4) Ch. vi, 10, 



178 



THE FALL OF BABYLON 



21-24. These verses complete the picture of desola- 
tion brought upon the rich and powerful city. She shall 
be destroyed to remain forever but a heap of ruins^ be- 
cause through her have all nations been deceived ''and 
in her is found the blood of prophets and of saints, and 
of all that were slain upon the earth." The blood of 
martyrs throughout the empire is justly chargeable to 
Rome from which went forth the decrees of persecution. 



Part II. 2^ 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



CHAPTER XIX 

1. After these things I heard as it were the voice 
of much people in heaven, saying: Alleluia. Salvation, 
and glory, and power is to our God. 

2. For true and just are his judgments, who hath 
judged the great harlot which corrupted the earth with 
her fornication, and hath revenged the blood of his ser- 
vants at her hands. 

8. And again they said: Alleluia. And her smoke 
ascendeth for ever and ever. 

4. And the four and twenty ancients, and the four 
living creatures fell down and adored God that sitteth 
upon the throne, saying: Amen; Alleluia. 

5. And a voice came out from the throne, saying: 
Give praise to our God, all ye his servants; and you that 
fear him, little and great. 

6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great mul- 
titude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice 
of great thunders, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord our 
God the Almighty hath reigned. 

7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to 
him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his 
wife hath prepared hersell. 



180 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



8. And it is granted to her that she should clothe 
herself with fine linen, glittering and white. For the 
fine linen are the justifications of saints. 

9. And he said to me: Write: Blessed are they 
that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamh. And 
he saith to me: These words of God are true. 

10. And I fell down before his feet, to adore him. 
And he saith to me: See thou do it not: I am thy 
fellow servant, and of thy brethren, who have the testi- 
mony of Jesus. Adore God. For the testimony of Jesus 
is the spirit of prophecy. 

1-3. In response to the summons given above (xviii, 
20), St. John hears the voices of praise from great multi- 
tudes. They arc the martyrs in heaven and the faithful 
on earth singing the praises of God for the manifestation 
of His justice in the fall of Rome. The ruins of the city 
shall remain as a lasting memorial of God's judgments 
upon unfaithful nations and peoples: ''Her smoke 
ascendeth for ever and ever." 

4-6. The four and twenty ancients and the four 
living creatures, — the entire priesthood of the Church, — 
prostrate themselves in adoration and chant the words 
of praise: ''Amen, AUelujah." A voice from the throne 
invites all servants of God to praise and adore Him, 
whereupon a mighty chorus goes up from the elect: 
''AUelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty hath 
triumphed and now reigns over all nations." The united 
voices of this mighty throng resound like the roll of 
thunder or the beating of waves. 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



181 



7, 8. They rejoice because the marriage of the 
Lamb is at hand and His spouse is in readiness. The 
Church, the spouse of Christ, ever triumphant in heaven, 
now triumphs on earth. She is clothed in radiant gar- 
ments which are the good works of her faithful children. 

9. The angel, — the voice from the throne, — com- 
mands St. John to write: Blessed are they who are 
called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'' This mar- 
riage feast, or triumph of the Church, begins on earth 
but is consummated only in heaven. In this connection 
St. Gregory the Great remarks that as supper is taken 
before the night's repose so the supper of the Lamb 
precedes the repose of eternal happiness in heaven.^ 
The marriage eupper is also a symbol of the Holy 
Eucharist to which all the faithful are imdted, and in 
which they receive a foretaste of eternal union with Christ 
in heaven. 

10. Filled with joy the aged Apostle falls at the 
feet of the angel to adore him, evidently mistaking him 
for our Lord. But the angel restrains him with the 
words; ''See tbou do it not for T am only thy fellow 
servant, like unto others who have received the spirit 
of prophecy to give testimony to Jesus. 



(1) St. Gregory the Great, ''Homil. in Bvang." ii, 24. 

(2) Cf . al30 ch. xxii, 8, 9. 



182 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



CHAPTER XIX 

11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white 
horse; and he that sat upon him was called faithful and 
true, and with justice doth he judtge and fight. 

12. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on 
his head were many diadems, and he had a name writ- 
ten, which no man knoweth hut himself. 

13. And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled 
with blood, and his name is called, The Word of God. 

14. And the armies that are in heaven followed him 
on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 

15. And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp two- 
edged sword; that with it he may strike the nations. 
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he 
treadeth the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath 
of God the Almighty. 

16. And he hath on his garment, and on his thigh 
written: King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. 



11. Our Lord Himself now appears as a conqueror 
upon a white horse,'' Christ possesses all perfections, but 
in the triumph of the Church, fidelity to His promise 
that the gates of hell should never prevail against her, 
stands out most prominent. Hence He is called the 
Faithful and True One. 



(1) See above, page 69. 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



183 



12. As in a former vision, His eyes are like flames 
of fire." The many diadems signify that Christ, the King 
of kings, is master of all nations. The name which no 
man knoweth expresses some perfection or attribute of 
our Saviour not yet made knovm to the world. It prob- 
ably has some connection with the universal reign of 
the Church after Antichrist. 

13, 14. The blood-stained garment may mean that 
victory for the Church was won through the merits of 
Christ and His martyrs as stated in xii, 11: '^And they 
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb . . . and 
they loved not their lives unto death.*' The blood may 
also be that of the enemies of Christ and His Church 
as is intimated by the treading of the winepress of God's 
anger (v. 15). This recalls the words of Isaias: ''I 
have trodden the winepress alone ... I have tram- 
pled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them 
down in my wrath, and their blood is sprinkled upon 
my garments, and I have stained all my apparel."^ 

Our Lord is followed by an army of the faithful 
upon white horses, symbols of victory. They are the 
''called and elect and faithful,'' mentioned in the pre- 
ceding chapter, who fight with the Lamb against 
the ten kings.* They are probably the armies of faithful 
nations symbolized in xii, 16, by the earth that helps the 



(2) Siee above, page 30. 

(3) Isaias Ixiii, 3. 

(4) Ch, xvii, 14. 



184 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



woman, and mentioned in xvi, 12, as kings from the rising 
sun. 

15, 16. The two-edged sword is here the sword of 
divine justice which strikes down unfaithful nations 
which Christ shall rule with a rod of iron. He treadeth 
the winepress of God's wrath by executing the divine 
decrees against all nations in revolt against God and His 
Church. Neither the name given to Christ here, nor the 
one found in verse 13, is to be identified with the un- 
known name mentioned in verse 12. 



CHAPTER XIX 

17. And I saw an an^el standing in the sun, and 
he cried with a loud voice, saying to aU the birds that 
did fly through the midst of heaven: Come, gather 
yourselves together to the great supper of God: 

18. That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the 
flesh of tribunes, and the flesh of mighty men, and the 
flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the 
flesh of all freemen and bondmen, and of little and of 
great. 

19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of earth, and 
their armies gathered together to make war with him 
that sat upon the horse, and with his army. 

20. And the beast was taken, and with him the 
false prophet who wrought signs before him where- 
with he seduced them who received the character of the 
beast, and who adored his image. These two were cast 
alive into the pool of fire, burning with brimstoi^e. 



THE HYMN OF VICTORY 



185 



21. And the rest were slain with the sword of him 
that sitteth upon the horse, which proceedeth out of his 
mouth; and all the birds were filled with their flesh. 

17, 18. While Rome, the seat of the false prophet, 
is smouldering in ashes, Christ and His faithful followers 
go forth to give battle against Antichrist and his allied 
kings. An angel summons all birds of prey to feast upon 
the carcasses of kings and princes, freemen and bond- 
men, great and small for the slaughter shall be great.^ 

19, 20. Antichrist and his allied kings now make a 
last effort against the forces of Christ and His Church. 
^^I saw the beast and the kings of earth and their armies 
gathered together to make war with him that sat upon 
the horse." This seems to be a reference to the battle 
at Armagedon mentioned above (xa^, 16). Three false 
prophets were sent out as messengers of Antichrist to 
gather the kings of earth to battle but Antichrist and his 
forces are overcome and a voice from the temple cries out 
'^It is done." Antichrist and his prophet are cast into 
hell, and their .allies put to the sword. It is the last 
battle in the great conflict between the Church and the 
powers of darkness. 



(5) Ezechiel xxxix, 17-20; Jeremias xii, 9. 



PART THIRD 



FROM THE CLOSING OF THE ABYSS 
TO THE END OF THE WORLD 



THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 



PART III 



From the Closing of the Abyss to the 
End of the World 

And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having 
the keg to the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. 
And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is 
the devil and satan, and hound him for a thousand gears. 

APOCALYPSE 
XX, i, 2. 



Part III 



THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 



CHAPTER XX 

The words of St. Paul to the Thessalonians' prove 
clearly that Antichrist must be a definite individual, and 
our study of the Apocalypse shows that he has not yet 
made his appearance in the world. But practically all 
interpreters who accept these conclusions take the reign 
of Antichrist as a prelude to the last judgment and the 
end of the world. Then, contrary to the plain sense of 
Holy Scripture, they place the universal reign of Christ 
before the time of Antichrist. This, in turn, makes the 
chaining of the dragon a difficult problem. Some refer 
it to the time of our Saviour's death, or to the day of 
Pentecost. Others fix upon the date of Constantine 's 
conversion, the reign of Charlemagne, the fall of the 
Western Empire, or the capture of Constantinople by the 
Turks, — all purely arbitrary dates as their great diver- 
gencies prove. ^ 

A careful reading of the Apocalypse shows clearly 
that Antichrist will appear long centuries before the last 
judgment and the end of the world. In fact his reign 
will be but the final attempt of Satan to prevent tha 



(1) II Thessalonians ii, 8. 



190 THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 



universal reign of Christ in the world. Since the day 
of Pentecost the Church has been engaged in perpetual 
warfare. Judaism was her first enemy; then foUo^/ed 
Arianism, Mohammedanism, the Greek Schism, the Befor- 
mation, and secret societies fostering atheism and ration- 
alism. Today she is also battling against mdiffercntism 
and a recrudescence of paganism. The reign of Anti- 
christ shall be the final conflict in this proloQged struggle 
with the powers of darkness. 

' After the defeat of Antichrist the Gentile nations 

will return to the Church and the Jews will enter her 
fold. Then shall be fulfilled the words of Christ: 
''There shall be one fold and one shepherd.'" Unfortu- 
nately sin and evil will not have entirely disappeared, 
the good and the bad will still be mingled in the Church, 
although the good shall predominate. After many cen- 
turies, symbolized by a thousand years, faith will 
diminish and charity grow cold as a result of the long 
peace and security enjoyed by the Church. Then Satan, 
unchained for a short time, will seduce many nations 
(Gog and Magog) to make war on the Church and perse- 
cute the faithful. These apostate nations shall be 
promptly overwhelmed with a deluge of fire and the 
Church will come forth again triumphant. The general 
judgment and the end of the world will then be near at 
hand. Men will be living in daily expectation until our 
Lord appears .;n the clouds with the suddenness of a 



(2) St. John X, 16. 



THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 191 



lightning flash.' Then shall all people be gathered to- 
gether unto judgment. 

The establishment of the Church over all nations is 
foretold on almost every page of Holy Scripture. '^He 
shall rule from sea to sea and from the river unto the 
ends of the earth. . . . And all kings of the earth 
shall adore him; and all nations shall serve him.*'* ^'All 
the nations thou has made shall come and adore before 
thee, Lord."'' ''His empire shall be multiplied and 
there shall be no end of peace.'"" ''His kingdom is an 
everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him and 
obey him."^ "He shall speak peace to the Gentiles, and 
his power shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers 
even to the ends of the earth. 

\The Apostles \vere sent forth to preach the Gospel 
to all nations and to every creature,^ and St. Paul applies 
to them the words of the Psalmist: "Their sound hath 
gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the 
end of the whole world.'"' Can it be supposed that these 
prophecies are fulfilled by the conversion of a few^ thou- 
sand souls in the various pagan countries of the world? 
Can we admit that a world steeped in paganism, and 
torn with schism and heresy is the only result of 
Christ's death upon the Cross? Such an admission is 

(3) St. Matthew xxiv, ,2.7. 

(4) Ps. Ixxi, 8, 9. 

(5) Ps. Ixxxv, 9. 

(6) Isaias ix, 7. 

(7) Daniel vii, 27. 

(8) Zacharias ix, 10. 

(9) St. Matthew xxviii, 16; St. Luke xvi, 15. 

(10) Romans x, 18; Ps. xviii, 5. 



1^^ THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 



necessary if the closing of the abyss and the binding of 
Satan be placed at the beginning of Christianity, and 
the thousand years of Christ's reign, before the defeat 
of Antichrist. 

The prophecieK^ cited above and hundreds of others 
scattered through the Scriptures make it certain that the 
reign of Christ shall be truly universal. After the Gen- 
tile nations return to the Faith, the Jews shall also sub- 
l^mit to the yoke of the Gospel. St. Paul states this fact 
very plainly: ''Blindness in part has happened in 
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles should come in. 
And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written: ''There 
shall come out of Sion, he that shall deliver, and shall 
turn away ungodliness from Jacob. '"^ Again he writes: 
"If the loss of them (the Jews) be the reconciliation of 
the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life 
from the dead?"^^ 

These prophecies will not be fulfilled before the time 
of Antichrist, since the Apocalypse clearly shows that 
he will come into a world harassed by paganism, apos- 
tacy, schism, and heresy.''' The Jews still unconverted, 
will accept him. ao Messias and assist in his warfare 
against the Church. Only after the defeat of Antichrist 
and the return of the Gentile nations to the Faith, will 
the Jews accept Christ as the true Messias. Then shall 
begin the universal reign of Christ over all peoples, and 



tribes, and tongues. 




(11) Romans xi, 25, 26; Isaias lix, 20. 

(12) Romans xi, 15. 

(13) Apocalypse ix, 20, 21. 



THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OP JESUS CHRIST 193 

After the destruction of Eome in the days of Anti- 
christ, it shall remain forever but a heap of ruins, and 
the haunt of filthy animals; ^'that great city shall be 
found no more at all." This fact taken in connection 
with the many piophecies concerning the future glory 
of Jerusalem, justifies the belief that it will become the 
city of the Popes and the capital of Christendom from 
the time of Antichrist until the consummation of the 
world. This, we believe, is not opposed to the teaching 
of the Church. Many theologians hold that the Papacy 
is connected with the bishopric of Rome by divine in- 
stitution; yet this cannot be an article of Faith because 
it is contained neither in Scripture nor in tradition. It 
is of faith that the successor of St. Peter is head of the 
Church, and in the present order of things it is also of 
faith that the bishop of Eome is the successor of St. 
Peter." 

Transfer of the Papacy from Rome to Jerusalem 
might be made by decree of a^ general council acting 
with the Pope, or by direct intervention of divine Provi- 
dence. The prophets of old foretell the future glory of 
Jerusalem when it shall become again the Holy City and 
the spiritual capital of the world whence the waters of 
salvation fiow out to all peoples. It shall also become 
the capital of a Jewish nation gathered about it once 
more. A few texts will suffice to establish these points. 

Rejoice and praise, O thou habitation of Sion: for 



(14) Tanquery, "Synopsis Theol. Dogm." pp. 383-4. 

(15) St. Matthew xxiii, 38, 39. 



194 THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 



great is he that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of 
Israel.''" 

^'Sing praise, and rejoice, daughter of Sion: for 
behold I come and I will dwell in tjhe midst of thee : 
saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to 
the Lord in that day, and they shall be my people, and 
I will dwell in the midst of thee.''" 

^^And there shall be one day, which is known to the 
Lord. . . . And it shall come to pass in that day 
that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem: half of 
them to the east sea, and half of them to the last sea; 
they shall be in summer and winter. And the Lord shall 
be King over all the earth: in that day there shall be 
one Lord, and His name shall be one . . . and there 
shall be no more anathema; but Jerusalem shall sit se- 
cure. 

''At that t/ime Jerusalem shall be called the throne 
of the Lord : and all the nations shall be gathered to- 
gether to it, in the name of the Lord of Jerusalem, and 
they shall not! walk after the perversity of their most 
wicked heart. "'^ 

''Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am returned to 
Sion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and 
Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, and the 
mounlJain of the Lord of hosts. . . . Behold I will 

(16) Isaias xii, 6. 

(17) Zacharias ii, 10, 12. 

(18) Zacharias xiv, 7-11. 

(19) Jeremias iii, 17. 



THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 195 

save my people from the land of the east, and from the 
land of the going down of the sun. And I will bring 
them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: 
and they shall be my people, and 1 will be their God in 
truth and in just'ice. . . . And it shall come to pass, 
that as you were a curse among the Gentiles, house 
of Juda, and house of Israel : so will I save you, and you 
shall be a blessing/'^" 

These and similar prophecies aroused in the Jewish 
breast an anxious longing for the glorious awakening 
of Israel. The people looked forward to the long ex- 
pected Messias as a great leader of the restoration. The 
Apostles sharerl this expectation of their countrymen. 
When our Lord told them the Holy Ghost was shortly 
to come upon them they said: ^^Lord, wilt thou at this 
time restore again the kingdom to Israel?'^ Christ did 
not tell them their expectations were vain; He simply 
said: '^It is not for you to know the times or moments 
which the Father has put in his own power.'"' He told 
them, in effect, that the kingdom would be restored to 
Israel buti it was not for them to know the time because 
the Father had not revealed it. 



(20) Zacharias viii, 3, 7, 8, 13. 
C21) Acts of the Apostles i, 2. 



196 THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OP JESUS CHRIST 

CHAPTER XX 

1. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, 
having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain 
in his hand: 

2. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, 
which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thou- 
sand years. 

3. And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and 
shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should 
no more seduce the nations, till the thousand years be 
finished. And after that he must be loosed a little time. 

4. And I saw seats; and they sat upon them; and 
judgment was given unto them; and the souls of them, 
that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and 
for the word of God, and who had not adored the beast 
nor his image, nor received his character on their fore- 
head, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with 
Christ a thousand years. 

5. The rest of the dead lived not, till the thousand 
years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the 
first resurrection. In these the second death hath no 
power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ; 
and shall reign with him a thousand years. 

1-3. Chapters ix-xix form an important part of the 
Apocalypse containing, as they do, an extended history 
of Antichrist and his v^arfare against the Church. As 
a preparation for his coming, the star fallen from heaven 



THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 197 



opens the abyss whence eomes forth a great swarm of 
locusts/ Then follows a prophetic account of his reign, 
the overthrow of bis empire, and his final condemnation 
in hell. An angel from heaven now binds the dragon 
and casts him into the abyss which is closed and sealed 
that Satan may no longer seduce the nations as in the 
past. Thus all obstacles are removed and the Church 
begins her peaceful reign on earth. It should be noted, 
however, thati not all evil spirits are thus sealed up in 
the abyss; there will still be sin and evil on earth. The 
individual must still struggle against temptation and 
seduction. In fact there can be no real progress in 
virtue without temptation. 

4. St. John now sees the souls of those who par- 
ticipate with Christ in the government of His Church. 
They are the saints who worshipped not the beast nor 
his image, nor received his character on their forehead, 
and especially they are the martyrs who gave their lives 
"for tfhe testimony' of Jesus and for the word of God.'' 
''Judgment was given unto them," for as St. Paul says; 
''the saints shall judge this world.'" The saints and 
martyrs are modeis and patrons for the faithful whom 
they ifeach and guide by the example of their li^ es on 
earth and by their intercession in heaven. Thus do they 
live and reign with Christ. 

5. The wicked, — the rest of the dead, — live not the 
life of the soul because they have been condemned to the 

(1) Ch. ix, 2, 3. 

(2) I Connthians vi, 2. 



198 THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST 

eternal torments of hell, which is the second death be- 
cause it follows the death of the body. 

6. The reign of the saints and martyrs with Christ 
in heaven is called the first resurrection. The resurrec- 
tion of the body at the last judgment shall be the second. 
Blessed are they who have part in the first resurrection 
because the second death hath no power over them. 



Part III 

LOOSING OF SATAN AND LAST PERSECUTION 



CHAPTER XX 

7. And when the thousand years shall be finished, 
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go 
forth, and seduce the nations, which are over the four 
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, and shall gather 
them together to battle, the number of whom is as the 
sands of the sea. 

8. And they came upon the breadth of the earth, 
and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the be- 
loved city. 

9. And there came down fire from Grod out of 
heaven, and devoured them; and the devil, who seduced 
them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where 
both the beast 

10. And the false prophet shall be tormented day 
and night for ever and ever. 



7, 8. At the close of the period, symbolized by 
a thousand yearns, Saljan will be loosed again for a short 
time during which he will seduce many nations. From 
the four quarters of the earth he will assemble an army, 
numerous as the sands of the sea, to war against the 



200 LOOSING OF SATAN AND LAST PERSECUTION 

Church, — the camp of the saintie. Jerusalem the be- 
loved, then the city of the Popes, v>^ill be the chief point 
of attack; but God will intervene in its defense by rain- 
ing down fire upon the besieging hosts. 

9. These hostile nations are symbolized as Gog and 
Magog,' — names made famous by the prophecy of 
Ezechiel in which their invasion and terrible destruction 
by fire is described at length. '^Thou shalt come out of 
thy place from the northern parts, thou and many people 
with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great com- 
pany and a mighty army. And thou shalt come upon 
my people of Israel like a cloud to cover the earth. . . . 
And I will judge him with pestilence, and with blood, 
and with violent rain, and vast hailstones: and I will 
rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, 
and upon the many nations that are with him. . . And 
I will send fire on Magog, and on them that' dwell con- 
fidently in the islands: and they shall know that I am 
the Lord. . . . Behold it cometh, and it is done, saith 
the Lord God: this is tihe day whereof I have spoken. 

. . And it shall come to pass in that day, that I 
will give Gog a noted place for a sepulchre in Israel: 
the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea, which 
shall cause astonishment in them that pass by : and there 
shall they bury Gog and all his multitude, and it shall 
be called the valley of the multitude of Gog. And the 
house of Israel shall bury them for seven months to 



(1) In Ezechiel Magrog seems to be a people and Gog their ruler. 



LOOSING OF SATAN AND LAST PERSECUTION 201 

cleanse the land. And all the people of the land shall 
bury him, and it shall be unto them a noted day, wherein 
I was glorified, saith the Lord God."' 

10. Satan is now east into hell to be tormented 
with the beast and the false prophet for all eternity. 



(2) Ezechiel xxxviii, xxxix. 



RESURRECTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 



CHAPTER XX 

11. And I saw a great white throne, and one sitting 
upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled 
away, and there was no place found for them. 

12. And I saw the dead great and small, standing 
in the presence of the throne, and the books were 
opened; and another book was opened, which is the 
book of life; and the dead were judged by those things 
which were written in the books according; to their 
works. 

13. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, 
and death and hell gave up their dead that were in 
them; and they were judged every one according to 
their works. 

14. And hell and death were cast into the pool of 
fire. This is the second death. 

15. And whosoever was not found written in the 
book of life was cast into the pool of fire. 

11. St. John now beholds our Lord seated upon His 
throne to judge the living and the dead. Heaven and 
earth fleeing before His face expresses the terror that 
shall seize upon the wicked: ^^Men withering away for 



RESURRECTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 203 



fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole 
world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved.''' 

Our Lord's coming with power and majesty, and the 
signs that precede it were not revealed to St. John, 
probably because they had been sufficiently announced 
by Christ Himself in the Gospels." 

12. Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the 
eagles also be gathered together."^ In like manner at 
the coming of Christ the dead arise and come to judg- 
ment. The books are now opened and all are judged 
according to their works which are written either in the 
book of life or in the books of the dead. The books of 
the dead (wicked) are many while there is but one book 
of life because '^many are called but few are chosen."* 

13. The sea represents the nations opposed to the 
Church in the last days. Its dead are the people of 
those nations wiiom Christ shall, find living at His com- 
ing. They are dead in sin and their works are written 
in the books of the dead. 

Death and hell must give up their dead, — the wicked 
who die before the second coming of Christ. Their souls, 
condemned to hell, are now united to their risen bodies 
to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Thus do 
death and hell give up their dead. 

(1) St. Luke xxi, 26. 

(2) St. Matthew xxiv, ^ sq.; St. Mark xiii, 22 sq.; St. Luke xxi, 
25 sq. 

(3) St. Matthew xxiv, 28. 

(4) St. Matthew xxii, 14. 



204 



RESURRBCTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 



14, 15. Those whose names are not written m the 
book of life are condemned, body and soul, to eternal 
torments which is the second death. Hence death and 
hell (the wicked) are cast into the pool of fire to be 
tormented for ever with the beast and his prophet. 

The order of events immediately preceding the last 
judgment can be fairly well established from various 
passages of Scriptures. The revolt of Gog and Magog 
will be punished by a deluge of fire from heaven which 
will probably occasion the conversion of great numbers. 
At some time after this the signs foreboding the coming 
of Christ will strike terror into all hearts/ and the day 
of judgment will be near at hand. ''When these things 
begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, 
because your redemption is at hand."^ ''But of the day 
and hour no one knoweth, no not the angels of heaven, 
but the Father alone."' St. Paul says that the "day of 
the Lord shall come as a thief in the night''; men will 
be found in the midst of their occupations as happened 
at the deluge of the days of Noe.^ 

At length there "shall appear the sign of the Son 
of man in heaven; and then shall all tribes of earth 
mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in 
the clouds with much power and majesty. And He shall 
send His angeLs with a trumpet and a great voice, and 
they shall gather together His elect from the four winds 

(5) St. Matthew xxiv, 29; St. Mark xiii, 24; St. Luke xxi, 25. 

(6) St. Luke xxi, 28. 

(7) St. Matthew xxiv, 36. 

(8) I Thessalonians v, 2; St. Matthew xxiv, 37. 



RESURRECTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 205 



of heaven, from the farthest parts of the heaven to the 
utmost bounds of them."' At the sound of the trumpet 
the dead shall arise. The just found living upon earth 
in that day and the just who arise from the dead shall 
be caught up into the air to meet Christ and be united 
with Him forever. ''The dead who are with Christ shall 
arise first. Then we who are alive, who are left shall 
be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet 
Christ into the air and so shall we be always with the 
Lord."" 

The wicked still living on earth and those raised 
up from the dead shall also be brought to judgment. 
Both good and bad are judged according to their works; 
''they that have done good things shall come forth unto 
the resurrection of life," and shall hear those words of 
Christ: "Come ye blessed of my Father, possess you 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world."'" But they that have done evil shall hear 
those words of eternal judgment: "Depart from me, 
ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for 
the devil and his angels."'" 

The words of St. Paul, "the dead who are with 
Christ shall rise first," do not mean that the resurrec- 
tion of the just wiU take place before that of the wicked. 
St. Paul was writing to correct the erroneous belief of 
the Thessalonians that the just who are alive at the 

(9) St. Matthew xxiv, 31. 

(10) I Thessalonians iv, 15, 16. 

(11) St. John V, 29; St. Matthew xxv, 34. 

(12) St. John V, 29; St. Matthew xxv, 41. 



206 RESURRECTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 

second coming of Christ will enjoy the glories of heaven 
sooner than those who have died. He tells them that 
the dead shall arise and then all shall be taken up to- 
gether to meet Christ. Hence ^^we who are alive, who 
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not be before 
them who have slept. '"^ 

Shall those found living at the second coming of 
Christ undergo death before the judgment? The Church 
has decided nothing in the matter, but Sacred Scripture 
seems to indicate that they will not. St. Paul says: 
''We who are alive shall be taken up." Again he says: 
''In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound 
of the last trumpet . . . the dead shall arise again 
incorruptible; and we shall be changed."" He evidently 
makes a distinction between those who are dead and 
those who remain alive at the coming of Christ. In the 
preceding verse the Apostle writes: "We shall all in- 
deed rise again; but we shall not all be changed." This 
indicates that all must undergo death but the Greek text 
reads: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be 
changed." It mast be admitted that this reading agrees 
better with the context than the one found in the Vul- 
gate. 

However the question is of little importance. We 
must all be changed; "this corruptible must put on in- 
corruption; and this mortal must put on immortality."'^ 
The bodies of the just will be spiritualized and glorified 



(13) I Thessalonians iv, 14. 

(14) I Corinthians xv, 52; cf. also' II Corinthians v, 4, 5. 

(15) I Corinthians xv, 53. 



RESURRECTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 207 

as was the body of our divine Saviour: ''it is sown a 
natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body; it is sown 
in dishonor, it shall rise in glory .'^ Now it matters little 
indeed whether this change be accomplished directly in 
the living body or indirectly by death and immediate 
resurrection. 



(16) I Corinthians xv, 43, 44. 



Part III 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



CHAPTETl XXI 

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for 
the first heaven and the first earth was gone, and the 
sea is now no more. 

2. And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusa- 
lem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as 
a bride adorned for her husband. 

3. And I heard a great voice from the throne, say- 
ing: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he 
will dwell with them. And they shall be his people; 
and God himself with them shall be their God. 

4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes; and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor 
crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former 
things are passed away. 

5. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold 
I make all things anew. And he said to me: Write, 
for these words are most faithful and true. 

6. And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha 
and Omega; the beginning and the end. To him that 
thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, 
freely. 

7. He that shall overcome shall possess these 
things, and I will be his God; and he shall be my son. 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



209 



8. But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the 
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and 
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have 
their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, 
which is the second death. 



1-4. A former vision revealed to St. John the de- 
struction of the present world by a return to chaos as 
at the beginning of creation." This destruction will be 
accomplished by fire as St. Peter distinctly states: ''But 
the heavens and the earth which now are, by the same 
word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the 
day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. 
. . . But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, 
in which the heavens shall pass away with great vio- 
lence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and 
the earth and the works which are in it, shall be burnt 
up."^ Out of the elements thus purified by fire, God 
will form a new, — a glorified earth to be a suitable habi- 
tation for the glorified bodies of the just. Then will the 
Church triumphant, — the new Jerusalem, — descend upon 
earth to be the tabernacle of God with men. They shall 
be his people and He will be their God. They shall be 
happy with Him forever; ''death shall be no more, nor 
mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for 
the former things are passed away.'*' 

The renewal of the earth completes the "restitution 



(1) See above, page 77. 

(2) n Peter iii, 7-10. 



210 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



of all things" mentioned by St. Peter.^ It is the revela- 
tion for which all nature groaneth and travaileth in ex- 
pectation, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God/ 
Isaias also prophesied this renewal: ''For as the new 
heavens and th(^ new earth, which I will make to stand 
before me, saitL the Lord: so shall your seed stand and 
your name."' Hence St. Peter writes: ''But we look 
for new heavens and a new earth according to his prom- 
ises, in which justice dwelleth."^ The "heavens" in this 
connection probably refers to the space occupied by the 
atmosphere surrounding the earth. This was the opinion 
of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Others be- 
lieve that it includes all the heavenly bodies, — the entire 
universe. The "sea" may be taken literally, though in 
a symbolic sense it refers to the nations opposed to the 
Church.' 

5, 6. The work of Redemption is now completed 
even for inanimate nature which had been cursed in the 
sin of man: "For the creature was made subject to 
vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who made 
it subject in hope. Because the creature also itself shall 
be delivered from the servitude of corruption into the 
liberty of the glory of the children of God."^ 

All things began in Christ by creation; they now 
find their destiny in Him who is "Alpha and Omega, the 

(3) Acts of the Apostles iii, 21. 

(4) Romans viii, 20-23. 

(5) Isaias Ixvi, 2\2. 

(6) II Peter iii, 13. 

(7) Cf. Schneider-Thurston, "The Other Life" ch. xiii, where this 
whole subject is discussed at length. 

(8) Romans viii, 20, 21. 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



211 



beginning and the end."' He now gives to His faithful 
the waters of eternal life, — the life of union with Him 
in the Beatific Vision. 

7, 8. Eternal happiness is for those alone who over- 
come in the conflict with temptation and sin. All others 
shall suffer the eternal torments of hell which is the 
second death. 



CHAPTER XXI 

9. And there came one of the seven angels, who 
had the vials full of the seven last plagues, and spoke 
with me, saying: Come, and I will shew thee the bride, 
the wife of the Lamb. 

10. And he took me in spirit to a great and high 
mountain: and he shewed me the holy city Jerusalem 
coming down out of heaven from God. 

11. Having the glory of God, and the light thereof 
was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper stone, even 
as crystal. 

12. And it had a wall, great and high, having twelve 
gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written 
thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of 
the children of Israel. 

13. On the east, three gates; and on the north, 
three gates; and on the south, three gates; and on the 
west, three gates. 



(9) See above, page 6. 



212 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



14. And the wall of the city had twelve founda- 
tions, and in them, the twelve names of the twelve 
apostles of the Lamh. 

15. And he that spoke with me, had a measure of 
a reed of gold, to measure the city and the gates there- 
of and the wall. 

16. And the city lieth in a foursquare, and the 
length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he meas- 
ured the city with the golden reed for twelve thousand 
furlongs, and the length and the height and the breadth 
thereof are equal. 

17. And he measured the wall thereof an hundred 
forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is of an 
angel, 

18. And the building of the wall thereof was of 
jasper stone: but the city itself pure gold like to clear 
glass. 

19. And the foundations of the wall of the city 
were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The 
first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the 
third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald: 

20. The fifth, sardonyx: the sixth, sardius: the 
seventh, chrysolite, the eighth, beryl, the ninth, a topaz: 
the tenth, a chrysoprasus: the eleventh, a jacinth: the 
twelfth an amethyst. 

2il. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, one 
to each: and every several gate was of one several pearl. 
And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were 
transparent glass. 

22. And I saw no temple therein. For the Lord 
God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb. 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



213 



23. And the city hath no need of the sun, nor moon, 
to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it 
and the Lamb is the lamp thereof. 

24. And the nations shall walk in the light of it: 
and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and 
honor into it. 

25. And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day: 
for there shall be no night there. 

26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of 
the nations into it. 

27. There shall not enter into it anything defiled, 
or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they 
that are written in the book of life of the Lamb. 



9, 10. One of the seven angels who poured out the 
vials of wrath, takes St. John in spirit upon a high 
mountain that he may have a bird's eye view, as it were, 
of the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, all 
ablaze with divine splendors. The great dimensions of 
the city are also indicated by the necessity of viewing 
it from a lofty mountain. 

11. The glory of God enlightens the city whose 
radiant beauty is compared to the flashing hues of jasper, 
and the transparent brilliancy of crystal. 

12, 13. The strong towering walls are an assurance 
that no enemy can assail its inhabitants nor disturb the 
peace and happiness that reigns within. The twelve 
gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes sig- 



214 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



nify that many from each tribe shall be saved,^ and 
through these tribes shall the nations be blessed." Hence 
there are three gates on each side to show that all na- 
tions are called to the Faith and to salvation. 

14. The twelve foundation stones bear the names of 
the twelve Apostles because Christ ''built upon the foun- 
dation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Him- 
self being the oiiief corner-stone, in whom all the build- 
ing being framed together groweth up into an holy tem- 
ple in the Lord.'" 

15, 16. The angel measures the city and finds that 
it is a cube, a symbol of perfection. The dimensions are 
composed of ih/^, mystic numbers 12 and 1000, symbols 
of perfection and immensity. The reed is of gold, the 
symbol of charity, to signify that none can enter the 
heavenly Jerusalem unless he be enriched with good 
works and bear the treasure of Christian charity. 

17. The height of the outer wall surrounding the 
city is insignificant when compared to the height of the 
city which is perfectly secure in itself and needs no pro- 
tecting wall. The wall is measured in cubits, a measure 
in common use among men, but now employed by the 
angel in a mystic sense. 

18-21. The description of the mystic Jerusalem is 
evidently symbolic. The dimensions signify perfection 



(1) See above, pagie 81. 

(2) Genesis xx:ii, 18; xxvi, 4. 

(3) Ephesians ii, 20, 21. 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



215 



and immensity; the gold and precious stones remind us 
that it is necessary to have the gold of true charity and 
the gems of virtues and good works. Thus only can 
we enter this city of gleaming gold and sparkling gems. 

Despairing of putting into words this the most sub- 
lime part of his vision, and wishing to depict it in con- 
sonance with our understanding, St. John has recourse 
to the harmonious proportions of numbers, and the 
varied and delicate tints of precious gems. Until we see 
heaven and are bathed in the full light of God, we shall 
never discover all that the Apostle desired to convey 
thereby; but while here below, nothing gives us a loftier 
notion of heaven's blessedness than beholding St. John, 
the most enlightened and inspired of sacred writers, 
utterly powerless to express in human language the de- 
lights it holds in store for us."* We can only say with 
St. Paul: ^^Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God 
hath prepared for them that love Him."' 

22, 23. No temple is found in the heavenly city 
because God and the Lamb are themselves the temple. 
There every soul is united to God and flooded with the 
light of His eternal glory which renders useless all 
created light. 

24-27. The elect of all nations shall dwell in this 
light inaccessible"*^ and the kings of earth shall bring 



(4) Fouard, "St. John" (Eng. Trans.), page 130. 

(5) I Corinthians ii, 9; cf. also Isaias Ixiv, 4. 

(6) I Timothy vi, 16. 



216 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALfiM 



thither their glory and honor to lay them before the 
throne of God. The gates of the city are not closed at 
night like those of earthly cities, because ''night shall 
be no more/' Only those who are pure of heart, whose 
names are written in the book of life, can enter through 
these gates. 



CHAPTER XXII 

1. And he shewed me a river of water of life, clear 
as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of 
the Lamh. 

2. In the midst of the street thereof, and on both 
sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve 
fruits, yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of 
the tree were for the healing of the nations. 

3 And there shall be no curse any more; but the 
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his 
servants shall serve him. 

4 And they shall see his face: and his name shall 
be on their foreheads. 

5. And night shall be no more: and they shall not 
need the light of the lamp, nor the light of the sun, be- 
cause the Liord God shall enlighten them, and they shall 
reign for ever and ever. 



1. The river flowing from the throne of God sym- 
bolizes the joy and happiness that floods the souls of the 
elect in their possession of God and union with Him. 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



217 



This is the living water promised by our Lord: ^'He 
that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall 
not thirst for ever: but the water that I will give him, 
shall become in him a fountain of water springing up 
into everlasting life."^ 

2. The tree of life stands in the midst of the city 
on either banks of the river at the disposal of all and to 
all it gives eternal life. Its twelve fruits ripening every 
month symbolize the happiness of heaven which shall be 
without interruption for all eternity. In this life the 
fruit of the tree is the Holy Eucharist, and its leaves the 
teachings of Christ and His Church. In heaven the fruit 
is the glory of the Beatific Vision; and the leaves, the 
accidental glory of the saints.^ 

3-5. Sin shall be no more, and the saints shall serve 
and glorify God whom they behold face to face. '^We 
see now through a glass in a dark manner ; but then face 
to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know 
even as I am known. The name of God written upon 
the foreheads of the saints is a mark of their adoption 
as children of God by Baptism and Confirmation. ''Be- 
hold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed 
upon us, that we should be called, and should be the 
sons of God."^ 

Night shall be no more ; the saints need not the lamp 



(1) St. John iv, 13, 14; Psalm xxxv, 9, 10. 

(2) Cath. Encyc, vol. viil, p. 174. 

(3) I Corinth, xili, 12. 

(4) I John iii, 1. 



218 



THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM 



of faith nor the guiding light of the Church. God Him- 
self will be their light and they will reign with Him for 
ever. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, 
Lord: they shall praise Thee for ever and ever."^ 



(5) Psalm Ixxxiii, 5 



THE EPILOGUE 

Behold I come quicklp. Blessed is he that 
keepeth the words of the prophecp of this book* 

APOCALYPSE 

xxii 7 



THE EPILOGUE 



CHAPrm XXII 

6. And he said to me: These words are most 
faithful and true. And the Lord God of the spirits of 
the prophets sent his angel to shew his servants the 
things which must be done shortly. 

7. And, Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that 
keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. 

8. And I, John, who have heard and seen these 
things. And after I had heard and seen, I fell down 
to adore before the feet of the angel, who shewed me 
these things. 

9. And he said to me: See thou do it not: for 
I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the 
prophets, and of them that keep the words of the 
prophecy of this book. Adore God. 

10. And he saith to me: Seal not the words of the 
prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 

11. He that hurteth, let him hurt still: and he that 
is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is just, let 
him be justified still: and he that is holy let him be 
sanctified still. 

12. Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with 
me, to render to every man according to his works. 

13. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, 
the beginning and the end. 

14. Blessed are they that wash their robes in the 
blood of the Lamb: that they m^ay have a right to the 
tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the 
city. 



THE EPILOGUE 



221 



15. Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and uncliaste, 
and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that 
loveth and maketh a lie. 

16. I Jesus have sent my angel, to testify to you 
these things in the churches. I am the root and stock 
of David, the bright and morning star. 

6, 7. The ajigel who acted as guide for St. John in 
viewing the new Jerusalem, now assures him that these 
visions are true revelations of what the future holds in 
store for the Church. They are true because God Him- 
self has revealed them to St. John through the ministry 
of the angel. In a former vision God commanded ot. 
John to write ''for these words are most faithful and 
true.'^' Their accomplishment is near at hand, for has 
not our Lord said: ''Behold, I come quickly. Blessed 
is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this 
book"? The same warning is found in the opening 
words of the Apocalypse: "Blessed is he that readeth, 
and heareth the words of this prophecy; and keepeth 
those things which are written in it; for the time is at 
hand"; their fulfillment was beginning already in the 
days of St. John/ 

8, 9. Probably many of these visions were not com- 
mitted to writing until St. John had returned to Ephesus 
where he could dictate them to his disciples as was the 
custom of the other Apostles. Hence he is careful to 



(1) Ch. xxi, 5. 

(2) Ch. i, 3. 



222 



THE EPILOGUE 



attest their authenticity: ''I, John, am he Avho saw and 
heard these things Perhaps he wrote these words with 
his own hand as a sort of signature after the manner of 
St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians.^ 

When the visions and revelations were ended, St. 
John prostrated himself before the angel as a parting 
salutation, but the angel refused this mark of respect, 
because as prophets of God they were equals. The 
words of the angel imply that he is the same one whom 
St. John mistook for our Lord on a former occasion/ 
There St. John intended divine worship as indicated by 
the Greek construction. Here, there can be no mistake; 
St. John is well aware that his guide is one of the seven 
angels who poured out the vials of wrath This differ- 
ence is reflected in the use of a Greek construction often 
found in the Old Testament to express the honor paid , 
to angels and persons of superior rank. 

10. St. John is commanded not to seal the book of 
his prophecy ; it is to be published to the Church at once 
because the time for its fulfillment has already begun.^ 

11-13. Christ Himself now utters words of warning 
and encouragement. The wicked may continue in their 
evils, heaping sin upon sin, but they must know that 
God will deal with them according to their works. On 
the other hand, let the just be still more justified; let 

(3) I Corinthians xvi, 21. 

(4) Ch. xix, 10. 

(5) Ch. xxi, 9. 

(6) Ch. X, 4. 



THE EPILOGUE 



223 



him add good works unto good works for he shall be 
rewarded accordingly. It is I, the Alpha and Omega, 
the first and the last, the beginning and the end, who 
shall punish and reward all men in justice according to 
their works. 

14, 15. Blessed, therefore, are they who have 
washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb through 
Baptism, Penance, and martyrdom, for they shall enter 
the heavenly Jerusalem and be nourished by the tree of 
life. But woe to the wicked (dogs) who must remain 
without where there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth. They shall have no part in the tree of life for 
Christ has said: '^Give not that which is holy to dogs.'" 

16. Our Lord Himself now confirms the truth of 
the revelations made to His Apostles: It is I, Jesus, 
Who sent My angel to testify these things to the 
churches; I Who am the root and stock of David, the 
bright and morning star.^ 

CHAPTER XXII 

17. And the spirit and the bride say: Come. And 
he that heareth, let him say; Come. And he that thirst- 
eth, let him come: and he that will, let him take the 
water of life freely. 

18. For I testify to every one that heareth the 
words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall 



(7) St. Luke xiii, 28. 

(8) St. Matthew vii, 6. 

(9) See above, page 46. 



224 



THE EPILOGUE 



add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues 
written in this book. 

19. And if any man shall take away from the 
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, 
and from these things that are written in this book. 

20. He that giveth testimony of these things, saith, 
Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jessu. 

21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
you all. Amen. 



17. St. John, speaking in his own name, says that 
the Church, the bride of Christ, guided loy the Holy 
Ghost, longs for the glorious coming of her divine Spouse, 
May all who hear her voice join in the self-same prayer. 
May those who thirst for the water of life receive it 
abundantly ! 

18, 19. The Apostle was aware of the risks his book 
would run at the hands of heretics who infested the 
churches of Asia Minor. He had been a witness to their 
shrewdness in interpolating and falsifying the most sacred 
texts. Hence he threatens with anathema anyone who 
may presume to mutilate his prophecies in any manner. 
This warning should be extended to the entire Scrip- 
tures of which the Apocalypse is but the final chapter.^ 

20. Our Lord, who testifies to the truth of these 
prophecies, says: ''Behold, I come quickly." From 



(1) Fouard, "St. John" (Eng. Trans.), p. 134. 



THE EPILOGUE 



225 



hearts filled with faith and love we cry out: ^^So be 
it. Come Lord Jesus!" 

Meditation upon the prophecies of the Apocalypse 
should strengthen our faith in God, and increase our 
zeal for His holy Church. They predict the great per- 
secution of Antichrist whose near approach is fore- 
shadowed by many signs; yet we know that the Church 
will at length triumph over the powers of hell and reign 
peacefully over all nations. Through prayers and good 
works we can beseech the mercy of God to shorten those 
days of trial for the sake of the elect.^ May He hasten 
the coming of His Kingdom ! ' ' Thy kingdom come ; Thy 
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'' 



FINIS 



(2) St. Matthew xxiv, 22. 



INDEX 



Abomination of Desolation 137 

Abyss, Closing of 197 

Abyss, Opening of 96 sq. 

Achab 45 

Adultery, Symbolism 45, 163 

Aesculapius, Temple of 40 

Agathonice 40 

Ak-Hissar 44 

Ala-Shehr 51 

Allegory 9 

Alpha and Omega 6, 23, 210 

Altar of Holocaust 72 

Altar of Incense 88 

Ammia 51 

Ancients 9, 59, 180 

Angel 10, 32 

Angels of Euphrates 103 

Angels, Guardian 155 

Angels, the Seven 87, 149 

Angels of Seven Churches 22 

Antichrist 128 sq. 

Antichrist, Mark of 136 

Antichrist, Cryptogram of 139 

Antichrist, Empire of. 133, 160, 163 

Antichrist, Forerunners of 167 

Antichrist in Jerusalem 136 

Antichrist as Messias 131 

Antichrist, false Miracles of.... 132 

Antichrist, Reign of 117, 133 

Antichrist, Statues of 138 

Antichrist, Victory over 148 

Antichrists 167 

Antiochus II 55 

Antipas . 41 

Apocalypse 17 

Apocalypse, Division of 10 sq. 

Apocalypse, Purpose of... 7 

Apollo , 44 

Arianism 76, 99, 123, 131 

Arius 98, 167 

Armagedon 158, 185 

Asia, Churches of 19 

Athanasius, St 167 

Augustine, St 121, 130, 210 

Aya-Solouk 33 

Balaam .41, 46 

Babylon ..117, 165 

Babylon, Fall of 145, 172 sq. 

Baptism 81, 138, 217 

Beast and Harlot 161 sq. 

Beast, Heads of 165 sq. 

Beast from Earth..... 135 



Beast from Sea 128, 130 sq., 164 

Beatific Vision 46, 211, 217 

Book of Life 203 

Book, the Sealed. 63 

Books of Dead 203 

Byzantine Empire 76, 189 

Caicus 39 

Candlesticks, Vision of 30 

Canticle of Moses 150 

Canticle of Lamb 150 

Carpus 40 

Christ, Divinity of 22 

Christ, the Morning Star 46 

Christ, the Orient 80 

Christ, Second Coming 204 

Christ, Universal Reign.... 189 sq. 
Christ Unknown Name of... 42, 183 
Church, Firmly Established .79 sq. 

Church and Satan 119 sq. 

Church of Satan 138 

Church, Vicissitudes of 86 sq. 

Churches, Liesecration of 137 

Churches, Seven of Asia 19 

Churches, Warning to 27 sq. 

Cogamus 51 

Confirmation 81, 1S8, 217 

Constitution of Church 57 sq. 

Conversion of Gentiles 83, 192 

Conversion of Jews 81, 192 

Cryptogram of' Antichrist 139 

Cybele 138 

Dan ' 81 

Death, the Second 198 

Destroyer, the 101 

Diana 44 

Diana, Temple of 33 

Domitian 28, 166 

Dragon, the 122, 197 

Earth, the Glorified 209 

Elias 113 sq. 

Epapliras 55 

Ephesus 55 

Epilogue 219 sq. 

Euphrates 103, 157 

Euphrates, Angels of 103 

PJvangelists 61 

Firstfruits 142 

P^ish, Symbolism of 91 

Four, Mystic Number 61 

Gabriel 21, 175 

Gains 40 

Gallois, Per^ 13 



228 



INDEX 



Gigot 42 

Gnostics 45 

Gog and Magog 110, 190, 200 

Goths 33 

Greek Schism 76, 190 

Gregory, St 121, 181 

Guardian Angels 155 

Harlot, the 164 

Hell, Eternal 145 

Henoch 113 sq. 

Herod Agrippa 154 

Hilary, St 167 

Holy of Holies 88 

Horns, Symbolism of 65 

Hymn of Victory 179 sq. 

Incense, Altar of 88 

Introduction 5 

Irenaeus, St 82, 90 

Israel, King of 141 

Israel, Tribes of 81 

Jerusalem... 116, 142, 148,159 

Jerusalem, the Heavenly.. 208 sq. 
Jerusalem, Phophecies concern- 
ing 193 sq. 

Jerusalem, Seat of Antichrist.. 136 

Jerusalem, Seat of Papacy 193 

Jerusalem, Temple of 136 

Jews, Conversion of 81, 192 

Jezabel 44 

John, St 29 et passim. 

Josaphat. Valley of 148 

Judgment 118, 202 sq. 

Judaism 123, 190 

Julian the Apostate 137 

Lamb, the 58, 142, 183 

Lamb, Canticle of 150 

Lamb, Marriage of 181 

Laodioea 55 

Locust, Plague of 99 

Lord's Day 29 

Luther 167 

Lycus 55 

Lydia 44 

Mageddo 158 

Mahomed 167 

Manna 41 

Marriage of T.iamb 181 

Mary Magdalene 33 

Martyrs, Souls of 57, 72 

Martyrdom of Polycarp 37 

Mass, Sacrifice of 58, 64 

Michael, St 21, 124, 175 

Miltiades 51 

Miracles, False 132, 136, 157 

Mithras 138 

Modernism 122 

Mohammedanism 123, 131, 190 

Monsabr6, Pdre 13 



Morning Star 46 

Moses 114 

Moses, Canticle of 150 

Neocaesarea 51 

Nero 33, 70, 140, 165 

Nicholaites 34, 40, 45 

Nicholas, Deacon 35 

Ninive 163, 175 

Nymphas, St 55 

Orient, the 80 

Pactolus 47 

Papacy, the 120, 193 

Papylus 40 

Parthian Kings 166 

Patmos 29 

Paul, St 44, 167, 177 

Pergamus 39 

Persecutions 68 aq., 128, 199 

Persecution at Pergamus 40 

Persecution at Smyrna 37 

Peter, St 167, 177 

Philadelphia 50 

Philadelphus 51 

Plagues on Antichrist 90, 149 

Pliny 29 

Polycarp, St 36 

Pope, the 123 

Prologue, the 17 

Prophet, the False 135 

Prophet, False Miracles of 138 

Prophets of Victory 141 sq. 

Protiestantism 123 

Raphael, St 21 

Reformation, the... 76, 99, 123, 190 

Resurrection, the.. 118, 198, 202 sq. 

Revolt of Nations.. 128 

Rome Destroyed 160 

Rome, Fall of 76 

Rome, Invasions of 170 

Rome, New Pagan Empire. 163 sq. 
Rome, Seat of False 

Prophet 135, 185 

Sacraments Counterfeited 138 

Sardis 47 

Satan Bound 197 

Satan, Church of 138 

Satan, Loosing of 199 

Satan, Synagogue of 37, 52 

Satan, Throne of 40 

Scourge of God 170 

Scriptures, Content of 7 

Sea, Symbolism 

of 61, 128, 135, 170, 203 

Seal of God 81 

Sealed, the 81 

Seven, Sacred Number 20 

Sheol 72 

Ship, SymbolTsan of 91 



INDEX 



229 



Sinai 60 

Sloet, Father 140 

Smyrna 36 

Spirits, the Seven 21 

Star, the Fallen 92, 98 

Stars, the Seven 30 

Statues of Antichrist 138 

Statues, Worship of 138 

Suarez 130 

Synagogue of Satan 37, 52 

Tabernacle, the 88 

Temple of Jerusalem 112, 136 

Tertullian 103 

Theodosius 70 

Thomas, St 210 

Throne of Grod 57 



Throne of Satan 40 

Thyatira 44 

Timothy, St 33 

Tree of Life .35, 217 

Trent, Council of 125 

Tribes, the Twelve 81 

Tyre 163 

Vicissitudes of the Church.. 86 sq. 

Victory, Prophets of 141 sq. 

Vintage, the 147 

Virgins, the 142 

Visions, Symbolic 8 

Voltaire 167 

Witnesses, the Two Ill sq. 

World, End of 76, 209 

Zionism 136 



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